A floating wind foundation site has been granted to Offshore Solutions Group (OSG) by Crown Estate Scotland (CES) under a new deal.
The two-year exclusivity agreement will allow the group to develop its Moray FLOW-Park, set to be the first wet storage site in the UK for floating wind projects.
CES granted the space to support logistics, as multiple floating platforms will be able to be stored closer to the ports where the wind turbines are assembled and installed.
OSG chief commercial officer Shane Woodroffe commented: “Our agreement with Crown Estate Scotland allows us to conduct some initial surveys of our proposed sites, and engage further with local stakeholders and communities around our plans.
“The Moray FLOW-Park is set to truly leverage and enhance Scotland’s existing port infrastructure to deliver its floating offshore wind ambitions.”
Future FLOW-Park strategy will be informed by OSG’s shortlist of potential locations, the outcome of a three-year, comprehensive survey of the UK coastline and a detailed assessment of over 200 potential locations.
Scotland has highly ambitious floating offshore wind targets, with around 25GW of projects in the pipeline. This includes the 400MW Green Volt project, which is set to be the largest floating wind farm in the world when it comes online.
The Moray Firth, which is home to several ports, is expected to be a key region in delivering the coming wave of large-scale floating projects.
Scottish Enterprise has previously provided grant support and guidance on public and private sector funding opportunities to OSG for the FLOW-Park project.
Scottish Enterprise director for energy transition Suzanne Sosna said: “Our vision is for Scotland to be viewed as a global centre of excellence for offshore wind, with supply chains that are world-leading in terms of value, competitiveness and quality.
“The plans for the Moray FLOW-Park align perfectly with that vision and will provide critical infrastructure that supports the effective build-out of offshore wind delivery in Scotland.
“This agreement is tangible evidence of the actions being taken to lead the world in this sector and we are delighted to back the ambition that Offshore Solutions Group has shown.”
In addition to the Moray FLOW-Park, OSG is investigating several other potential sites to develop a wet storage facility. This includes another eight in Scotland and six across England and Wales that could support projects in the Celtic Sea.
