Ørsted, Simply Blue, Subsea7 Submit Application for 100 MW Scottish Floating Wind Farm

May 14, 2024, by Adrijana Buljan

Ørsted, Simply Blue Group and Subsea7, through their joint venture partnership in Scotland, have submitted an offshore consent application for the proposed 100 MW Salamander floating offshore wind farm, one of the 13 projects selected in Scotland’s Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) leasing round.

The floating wind farm, one of the five INTOG innovation projects that signed exclusivity agreements with Crown Estate Scotland in May 2023, is planned to be built at a site located 35 kilometres off the coast of Peterhead.

Floating LiDAR and wave buoys were deployed at the project site in 2023 for wind measurement and metocean campaign as part of site investigations.

The project has also already started community engagement, with a third public consultation event planned to take place on 29 May in Peterhead, where the Salamander team will present the whole project with a focus on the details of the onshore consent application to be submitted later in 2024.

Subject to approval by Scottish Ministers, the now-submitted offshore consent application will grant permission for the offshore elements of the project.

Hugh Yendole, Project Director for Salamander said: “We have submitted a high-quality, thorough consent application and we’re committed to continue working with the necessary stakeholders throughout the approval process.”

The Salamander joint venture partners said the 100 MW project would give the Scottish floating wind supply chain an opportunity to develop its capabilities early, which can support its scale-up ahead of the pipeline of projects leased under the ScotWind and INTOG seabed leasing rounds.

“The Salamander team has committed to focusing on Scottish content, in both construction and operation, to help de-risk the future pipeline and attract investment, maximising the benefit Scotland will see from the renewables transition,” the Salamander joint venture said on 14 May.

Furthermore, as the project will deploy innovative technologies, it will inform best practices and increase industry confidence ahead of a wider buildout of floating wind later this decade, according to the joint venture.

“Ambitious targets from both the Scottish and UK governments are not yet complemented by the infrastructure and supply chain required to deliver the floating wind pipeline in the UK. The timely delivery of Salamander is critical for industry in ensuring we provide opportunities to enable the UK supply chain – we want to encourage investment in local ports and indigenous technologies that will pave the way for a decarbonised future,” Hugh Yendole said.