UK floating offshore wind developer Cerulean Winds has tapped Bilfinger to join an alliance of firms working on its 3 GW North Sea Renewables Grid project.
The project consists of three 1 GW floating wind farms which will be built to decarbonise offshore oil and gas assets in the Central North Sea.
Once built, the Aspen, Beech and Cedar projects will include more than 300 wind turbines, with Cerulean expecting to make a final investment decision in 2025.
Cerulean picked up the three wind leases in the Scottish government’s INTOG leasing round in 2023, and set up an Aberdeen operations base earlier this year.
Bilfinger joins the wind farm development alliance as the operations and maintenance (O&M) partner as the company continues to expand its energy transition operations.
Cerulean Winds founding director Dan Jackson said Bilfinger’s oil and gas experience showed the potential energy transition opportunities the floating wind sector offers.
“This is the story of the North Sea transition in a nutshell – a leading oil and gas service provider redeploying its skilled workforce and expertise to scale up floating wind,” Jackson said.
© Supplied by Bilfinger E&M UK“Bilfinger is joining an alliance of exceptional companies united by a shared ambition to advance the floating offshore wind industry in Scotland and deliver clean power to the UK.”
As part of the agreement, Bilfinger will advise on O&M during the detailed design of the Aspen site, which will be the first of the three sites to begin construction.
Bilfinger UK engineering and maintenance president Sandy Bonner said the firm’s selection is a “significant milestone”.
“By integrating innovative technologies and collaborating closely with the consortium, we aim to ensure the safe, efficient, and sustainable operation of the Aspen, Beech, and Cedar sites,” Bonner said.
“Our early involvement in the design phase will allow us to optimise maintenance strategies and support the project’s ambitious goals of industrial decarbonisation and enabling electrification of oil and gas facilities.”
Cerulean Winds £20bn investment
In 2023, Cerulean unveiled the North Sea Renewables Grid as part of a £20 billion investment plan to decarbonise vast swathes of the UK offshore oil and gas sector.
At the time, the company estimated the project could create as many as 10,000 jobs are expected, with first power slated for 2028.
© Supplied by Cerulean WindsOnce operational, oil and gas platforms will be able to hook into the system, giving them access to the clean power needed to hit the North Sea Transition Deal target for a net zero basin by 2050.
As Cerulean moves closer to a final investment decision, other INTOG developers are also moving closer to construction.
Earlier this week, the joint venture behind the Green Volt floating wind farm awarded two front end engineering and design (FEED) contracts.
Vargronn and Flotation Energy awarded the topside and jacket FEED to Aker Solutions and ABB, with a another contract going to Aibel and Hitachi Energy.
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