One of the successful INTOG projects has taken a step forward with Salamander submitting an offshore consent application for its proposed 100MW floating offshore wind farm.
Subject to approval by Scottish Ministers, the offshore consent application will grant permission for the offshore elements of the project.
The Salamander floating wind farm, a joint venture partnership between Orsted, Simply Blue Group and Subsea7, will be based around 35km off the coast of Peterhead.
The project succeeded in Crown Estate Scotland’s Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) leasing round in March 2023, with Salamander signing its exclusivity agreement in May that year.
In addition to helping decarbonise the North Sea oil and gas sector, the project aims to give Scotland’s floating wind supply chain an early opportunity to work on floating offshore wind ahead of the larger-scale ScotWind buildout.
Speaking to Energy Voice last year, the partners hopes the scheme will be up and running as early as 2028.
The Salamander team has committed to 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 innovative technologies will inform best practice and increase industry confidence ahead of a wider buildout of floating wind later this decade.
A third public consultation event is planned to take place on 29 May at the Scottish Maritime Academy in Peterhead. This event will present the whole project but focus on the details of the onshore consent application to be submitted later in 2024.
Project director for Salamander Hugh Yendole 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.”