The BlueFloat Energy and Renantis Partnership said Friday it had signed exclusivity agreements with Crown Estate Scotland to develop its Sinclair and Scaraben innovation projects following successful bidding in the recent INTOG (Innovation and Targeted Oil & Gas) leasing round.
The INTOG's aim is to attract investment in innovative offshore wind projects in Scottish waters, as well as help decarbonise North Sea operations.
The two 99.5 MW floating offshore wind farms will now be developed as part of a phased delivery of the Partnership’s Broadshore project, located 47 km north of Fraserburgh.
Sinclair and Scaraben will explore innovative foundation technologies, associated fabrication works, and mooring systems to maximize opportunities for the Scottish supply chain, and drive local investment and job creation.
A key element of the bid proposals is the opportunity to test and adapt a community ownership model, governed independently and directed by the communities in which the schemes will operate.
The model could create a blueprint, shaping the future of community benefit from floating offshore wind projects throughout the whole of Scotland.
This builds on Renantis’ successful track record of deploying similar schemes for a number of its onshore wind farms in Scotland, the partnership said.
Project Director, David Robertson, said:“Securing exclusivity to develop close to 200 MW of floating offshore wind provides our partnership with a fantastic opportunity to trial and de-risk new technology in this emerging market. We are also exploring a fresh approach to community ownership of offshore wind projects, ensuring as many people as possible can benefit from the energy transition in Scotland.”
The Partnership said its INTOG bid success built on its existing 3.1 GW portfolio of ScotWind projects comprising the 1.2 GW Bellrock project and 900 MW Broadshore project. The partners are also developing the 1 GW Stromar project in collaboration with Ørsted.
In the Celtic Sea, the Partnership is preparing to enter two 1 GW projects, Petroc and Llywelyn into the upcoming seabed auction by The Crown Estate.