As of the 14th of May, a joint partnership titled “Salamander” between Ørsted, Simply Blue Group and Subsea7, submitted an offshore consent application for its proposed 100 MW floating offshore wind farm.
The project was a successful Innovation bidder in Crown Estate Scotland’s Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) leasing round in May 2023 and will be located 35km off the coast of Peterhead on the East Coast of Scotland.
Maximising benefits
Subject to approval by Scottish Ministers, the offshore consent application will grant permission for the offshore elements of the project, which aims to be a stepping-stone in the UK’s journey to net zero. Salamander aims to give the Scottish floating wind supply chain a major early capability development opportunity, supporting its scale-up ahead of the pipeline of projects leased under the ScotWind and INTOG seabed leasing rounds.
The INTOG round awarded Exclusivity Agreements to two types of projects – small scale innovation projects of less than 100 MW, and larger projects aiming to decarbonise oil and gas infrastructure. Salamander bid for and won an Exclusivity Agreement under the innovation category.
The Salamander team will be focusing on Scottish content, in both construction and operation, to help de-risk the future pipeline and attract investment, maximising the benefit Scotland will see from the renewables transition. The deployment of the project’s technologies will inform best practices and increase industry confidence ahead of a wider buildout of floating wind later this decade.
Hugh Yendole, Project Director for Salamander said: “We have submitted a high-quality, thorough consent application and we’re committed to continue working with the necessary stakeholders throughout the approval process.
“Ambitious targets from both the Scottish and UK governments are not yet complemented by the infrastructure and supply chain required to deliver the floating wind pipeline in the UK. The timely delivery of Salamander is critical for industry in ensuring we provide opportunities to enable the UK supply chain – we want to encourage investment in local ports and indigenous technologies that will pave the way for a decarbonised future.”
Marine Environment studies continue
Earlier this year, it was announced that Salamander teamed up with two Scottish universities to to investigate the potential impact of floating wind farm developments on marine ecosystems. The PREDICT 2.0 initiative forms part of a research programme led by experts at the University of the Highlands and Islands’ (UHI) Environmental Research Institute and the University of Aberdeen, and is designed to develop a better understanding of fish migration patterns.
Dr Benjamin Williamson, Associate Professor of Energy at UHI said: “Marine sensing is vital to understand the environment around floating offshore wind farms. Robust information and evidence are needed to inform where offshore wind developments should be located to better protect marine ecosystems.”
Community engagement
Community engagement continues, with a third public consultation event planned to take place on May 29th at the Scottish Maritime Academy in Peterhead, from 12:00pm to 6:00pm. This event will present the whole project but focus on the details of the onshore consent application to be submitted later in 2024.
Salamander continues to encourage the domestic floating wind supply chain to register interest in the project. For more information, click here.
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