ScottishPower and Shell want to build large-scale floating windfarms in UK waters
ScottishPower and Shell have joined forces to bid to develop the world’s first large-scale floating offshore windfarms in the north-east of Scotland, they announced last week. The group submitted multiple proposals for new floating offshore windfarms as part of Crown Estate Scotland’s ScotWind Leasing, which closed for submissions on July 16.
Shell expects to use its decades of experience working offshore coupled with ScottishPower’s presence in Scotland to provide the right blend of skills and experience to successfully deliver these projects, it said in a press release.
Floating offshore wind is suitable for use in deeper water zones where fixed foundations aren’t feasible making it ideal for Scottish waters. It will become an increasingly important part of the energy mix in the UK as more and more offshore wind power is brought on to the grid to meet Net Zero targets.
“With just a few months until the COP26 UN Climate Change Summit in Glasgow, ScotWind will help create a whole new industry in floating wind that will play a crucial role in putting the country on course for a cleaner and greener future,” said ScottishPower CEO, Keith Anderson
Shell UK Country Chair, David Bunch said that if the bid is selected, the companies are “fully committed to working with Scottish communities and businesses to help develop supply chains and expertise which could make Scotland a world leader in floating wind.”
ScotWind Leasing is the first round of seabed leasing for offshore wind in Scottish waters in over a decade and will grant property rights for new large-scale offshore wind project development, including floating wind for the first time.
The combined ScottishPower Renewables/Iberdrola and Shell portfolio includes over 2GW of operational offshore wind, over 11GW of offshore wind in development and additionally over 700 MW of floating wind in various stages of development, according to the companies.
Crown Estate Scotland is expected to announce the results of this round of ScotWind Leasing in early 2022.
Source: Renewable Energy