SSE, Marubeni, CIP sign ScotWind option agreement
SSE Renewables, Marubeni Corporation and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) have today confirmed that they have signed an option agreement with Crown Estate Scotland following the success in the ScotWind offshore wind leasing round earlier this year.
The SSE Renewables-Marubeni-CIP project is in the E1 Zone in the Firth of Forth off the Angus Coast.
The site is suitable for the deployment of up to 2.6GW of floating offshore wind.
A partnership of Falck Renewables and BlueFloat Energy have also signed option agreements on its two successful bids in ScotWind.
The site east of Aberdeen in Plan Option E1 will be known as Bellrock with the site north of Fraserburgh in Plan Option NE6 called Broadshore.
A Falck Renewables, Bluefloat Energy and Orsted consortium have also jointly signed an option agreement on a site east of Caithness in Plan Option N3 which will be known as Stromar.
Together the three areas could accommodate a total of approximately 3GW of offshore wind capacity, with the projects scheduled to be operational by the end of the decade, subject to securing consent, commercial arrangements and grid connections.
SSE Renewables-Marubeni-CIP said a significant amount of pre-award survey work has been undertaken and a new geophysical survey commenced last week.
A team from Ocean Infinity, being mobilised from Montrose, has embarked on a 100-day mission to collect approximately 5300 line km of geophysical and bathymetric data along with benthic sampling.
The team will conduct the work from the survey vessel Northern Maria.
Other work underway includes the start of a second year of baseline ornithological and marine mammal aerial surveys, as well as co-ordination and mobilising wider regional eastern aerial surveys in co-operation with other East 1 and East 2 ScotWind developers.
SSE Renewables senior project manager David Hinshelwood said: “It is great to have a signed option agreement for our project, the result of a huge amount of work from our team.
“Progress is really ramping up and critical work like our geophysical survey which is underway will support our consenting plans allowing us to understand ground conditions and environmental habitats over our lease area.
“We are looking forward to continuing to utilise the strength of our partnership with Marubeni and CIP to deliver up to 2.6GW of new floating offshore wind.”
Ocean Infinity commercial lead Nils Ingvarson said: “We are very proud to be part of this pivotal offshore wind project that will ensure the supply of renewable energy to so many homes.
“The ScotWind development is a real milestone for the industry, not only because of the role it will play in the UK’s transition to renewable energy, but because it is the first major, full-scale floating offshore wind project, and one which we’re very excited to be involved with at this crucial, formative stage.”
First generation is targeted before the end of the decade.
