Wind

Falck and BlueFloat move ahead deals to get gigascale Scottish floating arrays online 'by 2030'

Partnership moves ahead with three 1GW projects on sites won via the 25GW ScotWind auction earlier this year, with pledge of 'hugely positive impact' on national economy and jobs

The WindFloat units at Scotland's Kincardine floating wind farm, the sector's largest array so far at 50MW
The WindFloat units at Scotland's Kincardine floating wind farm, the sector's largest array so far at 50MWFoto: BlueFloat Energy
The partnership between floating wind frontrunners Falck Renewables and BlueFloat Energy has inked go-ahead option agreements for its giga-scale winning bids in Scotland’s giant ScotWind offshore wind leasing round.

Forecast to accommodate some 3GW of floating wind, the three sites on the acreage landed by the pair will change name, with E1 off Aberdeenshire now known as Bellrock, NE6 off Fraserburgh to be called Broadshore, and the N3 site east off Caithness to go by Stromar.

“We [can] now move on to delivering floating wind developments at a scale which will really make a difference to Scotland,” said BlueFloat CEO Carlos Martin Rivals. “The Scottish coastline offers huge potential and we look forward to using our expertise to provide the clean energy which will be crucial to a net zero future for Scotland.”

Falck managing director Richard Dibley said: “These offshore wind projects will have a hugely positive impact in Scotland: they will create jobs, strengthen local supply chains, generate economic benefit and help to empower communities as we forge ahead and turn our plans into reality.”

The partners expect the three projects to be operation “by the end of the decade”, subject to securing consent, commercial arrangements and grid connections.

In laying the groundwork for the developments, Falck and BlueFloat said research would be carried out with the Scottish Association for Marine Science to explore the likely effects of floating wind developments on the marine environment at the projects sites.

“Work has already begun with community ownership experts Energy4All on a new framework which will allow residents of Scotland and communities to share the financial benefits of the offshore wind energy projects the consortium plans to build in the future,” said the pair in a statement.

The international renewables industry hailed Scotland’s first independent offshore wind leasing round earlier this year as a watershed for the energy transition in the country, as well as for the UK and beyond – and a breakout moment for floating technology, which saw big players make commitments to advance massive, market-accelerating projects in the vast swathes of deepwater awarded.
Seabed landlord the Crown Estate Scotland in January handed out lease options in its flagship ScotWind tender with the potential for a bigger than expected 25GW of fixed-bottom and floating projects that are calculated to uncork a £25bn ($34bn) supply chain bonanza for the regional economy.
Floating wind power’s global build-out this decade has been forecast by the Global Wind Energy Council to reach over 16GW, though some analysts remain concerned outdated current government policy frameworks have the potential of limiting the sector to deploying as little as 5GW by 2030.
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Published 11 April 2022, 19:21Updated 11 April 2022, 19:39
BlueFloat EnergyFalck Renewables ScotlandEuropeUK