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12 June 2023 |

Forum 23 Partner Blog: BlueFloat Energy | Renantis Partnership

Can Scotland achieve sustainable growth and help tackle climate change at the same time? Absolutely!

It’s just over 20 years since the UK’s first offshore wind farm was built in Cambois, Northumberland. With only two turbines, each generating 2 megawatts of power, with a rotor diameter of 66 metres, standing on fixed monopile foundations in about 10 metres of water, and less than 2 kilometres from shore.

Fast forward, and the turbines we are looking to deploy off our coast through ScotWind could be as much as 10 times more powerful than their forerunners, with rotor diameters up to 280 metres and floating in waters up to 100 metres deep and as far as 130 km offshore.

ScotWind could see close to 30 gigawatts of new offshore wind constructed around our coastline. To put it in context, that’s enough clean, green electricity to power the equivalent of well over 25 million homes.

That level of ambition is critical to deliver the volumes required to decarbonise our future energy system and then move on to decarbonise our heating and transport systems.

Once again, Scotland is centre stage, building on its strong heritage of innovation and engineering influence on the world with an unparalleled opportunity to pioneer new floating offshore wind technology through ScotWind.

Susie Lind

Susie Lind is the UK Country Manager at BlueFloat Energy and the Managing Director of its joint venture with Renantis in the UK

Susie Lind, Managing Director, BlueFloat Energy | Renantis Partnership

Susie Lind, BlueFloat Energy

We are on the cusp of a new revolution, a massive transformational shift toward a more sustainable, resilient energy system. A shift that might come at a price just now in terms of investment, courage, and commitment, but the fruits of our labour will be realised for generations to come.

Last year, our Edinburgh based partnership secured three seabed leases with a total capacity of more than 3 gigawatts – more than 10% of the total ScotWind awards.

Our aim is to contribute to a world leading floating offshore wind industry in Scotland, combining innovative technology with a plan to attract and grow a skilled Scottish workforce and stimulate a thriving local supply chain.

We have two floating wind sites – Broadshore, north of Fraserburgh, and Bellrock, east of Aberdeen.  As well as the majority stake in the consortium with Ørsted to develop the Stromar project, east of Wick. We also secured bid success in the recent INTOG leasing round with two innovation projects, Sinclair & Scaraben, adjacent to Broadshore.

These so-called stepping-stone projects offer a fantastic opportunity to trial and de-risk nascent technology in this emerging market and enable early engagement with the supply chain to gear up ahead of full scale ScotWind delivery.

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.

And recognising the urgency, we have already incorporated these sites into our geophysical surveys currently underway in the North Sea.

The ScotWind ambition signals Scotland as a place to do business, and a country that prioritises collective wellbeing.

Projects like ours will help breathe new life into Scottish coastal communities – creating lasting opportunities for ownership, growth, and employment on a path to achieve net zero emissions by 2045.

We are making substantial progress, decision makers are listening and working with developers like us to shape and inform the required changes to help the industry move forward at pace, establishing confidence to invest in Scotland.

We are also engaging early with many groups across Scotland to highlight the vast and varied career opportunities that offshore wind can offer, signposting the career pathways into the sector and tackling the skills gap in a timely manner to prepare and grow a competent workforce.

My heart and my time lie in offshore wind, an example of an industry that can turbo-charge a fair and just transition towards a greener future – A future where Scotland can lead the way in mitigating climate change and ensure prosperity for all.