Future Proofing Scotland’s Offshore Wind Sector

By 2030, the Scottish government hopes to achieve 11GW from offshore wind power. But, given the conditions around the coast, and the interest from developers, that vision could be accelerated to 20GW in the same time. Shallow waters, strong winds, fantastic supply chain, and world-leading ambition makes Scotland – the home of energy engineering – the perfect place for wind energy to grow.

One of the key elements that make Scotland perfect for building this important industry is its history. For many years, Aberdeen has been the oil capital of the world and while extracting oil from the ground is different to utilising the natural energy of wind, the number one priority always has top be safety. In oil and gas, a safety culture has encompassed the industry and is now viewed as the essential criteria for successful projects. Over the years, as energy has changed, this culture has travelled with people into the new industries we know today. Wind, solar, tide, biomass – safety of people sits above all else as we build the energy network of tomorrow.

This will certainly be the case at the Buchan Offshore Wind project. Headed by BayWa r.e., Elicio, and BW Ideol, the project will be a 1GW wind farm, 75km northeast of Fraserburgh, off the Aberdeenshire coast. Importantly, Buchan will be a floating project, one of the largest in the world.

The three companies together make up part of the Floating Energy Allyance (FEA), developed to share knowledge around floating energy assets for the benefit of Scotland’s energy industry.

“Scotland has one of the best wind resources in the whole of Europe. To date it has taken a lead in onshore wind development. We are now preparing to become a leader in floating wind development and deploy GWs of new offshore wind within the next 10 years,” says Project Director, Alasdair MacLeod.

FLEXIBLE FLOATING

Floating wind works similarly to fixed wind, but instead of towers atop transition pieces, on typical monopile foundations, the floating foundations are anchored to the seabed with mooring lines. Dynamic subsea and inter array cables connect into an offshore substation and from there the process is the same as the traditional with export cables taking power onshore to a substation for transfer to the national grid.

Currently, the team of developers is busy with stakeholder engagement, planning and environmental activity, and supply chain establishment after winning the rights to develop the project in January 2022.

Matthias Taft, CEO at BayWa r.e said: “We are delighted to join forces with Elicio and Ideol, and to jointly drive forward innovation in the Scottish offshore wind sector. Our commitment to growing in the Scottish onshore wind market is clear after our first decade of project realisation. We now look forward to moving into Scottish offshore waters in the next decade and creating further jobs and value for the local supply chain.”

The benefits of floating wind include ease of installation and reduced environmental impact as a result of no foundational drilling. The use of offshore vessels is also reduced with much of the construction work being completed onshore. Efficiency can also be improved as turbines can be hosted in deeper waters and turnaround time from project concept to energy generations can be quicker. Floating turbines are also more efficient in the decommissioning process as they can be moved or dismantled faster when the life at site comes to an end. Combining onshore, offshore, and floating wind will create a power source for Scotland that is clean, green, strong, and ever-lasting. Buchan will also ensure local employment and manufacturing, leaving a lasting legacy on industry in Scotland.

In July 2023, Buchan Offshore Wind announced new contract awards as progress continues quickly. Worth more than £1.5 million, the recent wards bring the number of advisory contracts dealt to date to more than £20 million. Three contracts were dished out to Copper Consultancy, Natural Power, and Blackhall & Powis – responsible for property support including land rights. Each supplier was chosen because of unique understanding of the Scottish landscape and renewable industry. Blackhall & Powis has already provided support with fishery liaison and land assembly.

“The Buchan Offshore Wind project team continues to engage with National Grid’s Holistic Network Design process and are committed to rapidly progressing both onshore and offshore elements of the project,” said Alasdair MacLeod. “All three companies bring significant experience and capability to the project team, and we look forward to working with them all as we take the project through to the next stage of development.”

Previously, the company awarded a contract to Ocean Infinity to carry out geophysical and geotechnical site investigations. This was a vital step in securing the site and offering evidence of its aptness for floating wind infrastructure.

“Acquiring seabed data represents an essential part within the project development process and we look forward to engaging with our local stakeholders throughout the survey campaign,” said MacLeod.

Investing in local talent and skills, the Buchan team has supported the UHI STEM outreach programme to encourage local students to take up science, technology, engineering, and maths subjects. Investment from Buchan helps to get outreach coordinators into schools and in touch with young people to explain the route into the offshore wind energy market as well as other key sectors.

“It is important to us to inspire the younger generation by providing them with real life examples of how STEM skills can be used to have a lasting impact,” said Supply Chain Manager, Adam Hollis. “Our Buchan Offshore Wind project specifically and the floating wind industry in Scotland in general will require a skilled workforce to deliver projects in line with our journey towards Net Zero.”

Previously, Buchan Offshore had also joined the PowerHouse, a dedicated skills and innovation accelerator of the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport (ICF). The organisation will deliver training modules and seminars to ensure skills required for floating offshore are developed accordingly.

“In order to deliver one of the largest floating offshore wind farms in the world, we will require a strong talent pool in the area,” said Hollis, who sits on the PowerHouse board. “We are therefore delighted to support organisations such as the PowerHouse that encourage young individuals within the Highlands and Islands region to join the renewable energy industry through their professional development schemes.”

When complete, the project will be able to power 800,000 households with green energy. With Scotland looking to aggressively ramp up its offshore wind capacity and cement its position as a global leader, projects like Buchan Offshore are essential in future strategy.

“At Buchan Offshore Wind, we are passionate about harnessing our combined experience to develop and deliver one of the world’s largest floating offshore wind farms off the northeast coast of Scotland,” said MacLeod, as the last remaining hurdle of consent submission in 2025 draws closer.