Green energy firms form consortium to bid for Scottish floating wind schemes

Three green energy companies have joined forces to unlock floating wind power potential in Scotland.

Danish firm Orsted said it had agreed a partnership with Italian peer Falck Renewables and floating wind specialist BlueFloat Energy to participate in the upcoming ScotWind leasing round.

The consortium is set to apply for seabed leases in sites which lend themselves to the deployment of large-scale floating wind technology in the Crown Estate Scotland’s upcoming leasing round.

Martin Neubert, chief commercial officer at Orsted, said: “We recently announced our strategic decision to pursue floating wind opportunities and to drive the commercialisation of this technology. Today’s announcement reaffirms Orsted’s commitment to this exciting and rapidly developing new technology.”

Orsted’s Hornsea One offshore wind farm.

Duncan Clark, the group’s head of region UK, said: “We have seen the positive, transformative impact of Orsted’s offshore wind farms in providing clean, cheap energy for homes and businesses; investing in our supply chain and opening access to opportunities across the globe; and creating new jobs and skills that leave a lasting legacy in communities across the country. This success is something we are very keen to replicate in Scotland.

“The ScotWind leasing round is a crucial step in the Scottish Government’s plan to deliver up to 11 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2030 and will be pivotal to a truly green recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.”

BlueFloat Energy’s chief executive Carlos Martin said: “Floating wind is an emerging industry and we are excited to announce our partnership with Orsted. It reinforces our capabilities and creates a winning consortium for a very competitive ScotWind leasing round.”

Richard Dibley, managing director of Falck Renewables UK, added: “Falck Renewables are committed to taking an active role in the development of floating offshore wind projects, as we are convinced the technology will play a crucial role in helping to reach Scotland’s net zero goals.

“Orsted’s hands-on approach to working with local communities is a great fit with our more than 15 years of experience working in Scotland to develop projects which share their economic benefit as widely as possible with local people and we are excited about the opportunities this partnership will offer Scottish communities and the supply chain.”

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