The second round of consultations for a proposed 3GW floating wind project off the coast of Scotland has now concluded.
The MarramWind offshore wind farm project, a joint venture between wind energy developer and supplier ScottishPower and international energy giant Shell, has been proposed for waters 75km off the north-east coast of Scotland. The 3GW project, which won leasing and development rights for the project in January 2022 as part of Crown Estate Scotland’s ScotWind Leasing round.
The developers are now undergoing the consultation and planning permission process to bring the project to life, including marine ecology assessments with the aid of Geoquip Marine.
Two rounds of community consultation have run across 2024 for Aberdeenshire locals. Following these consultations, the developers of MarramWind are aiming to submit full planning applications for the development to the Aberdeenshire Council and the Marine Directorate next year, with a decision on the application anticipated for 2026. Following this, construction will likely begin towards the end of the 2020’s before the project comes online post-2030.
MarramWind project director, Richard Eakin, said: “It was great to get the chance to see so many people engaged and hear their thoughts and views on how we can bring this project to life in a way that maximises the potential benefits and positive impact for local communities.
“MarramWind could make a long and lasting difference for the north-east and really support the energy transition by delivering investment, jobs and economic growth while turbo-charging the generation of clean energy. Getting the local input and insight to ensure we can achieve this in the right way is vital.”
Floating wind projects picking up pace
Recent weeks and months have seen a number of significant developments in the offshore floating wind sector, particularly in waters surrounding Scotland.
In November, Crown Estate Scotland announced that it had committed £250,000 to support a major development project for the UK’s floating offshore wind sector, which seeks to gather information on the environmental impacts of the UK’s floating offshore wind sector to ensure that future floating developments have a positive impact on the seabed.
Last week, a 100MW floating offshore wind farm concept under development by a joint venture between green energy developers Ørsted and Simply Blue Group and offshore development firm Subsea7 opened a call for supplier innovations. The Salamander project, set to be located 35km off the Scottish coast, is seeking ‘unique and novel’ solutions to the specific challenges associated with offshore wind from local firms.
