BlueFloat Energy and Nadara have brought in Arup to assess emerging technologies necessary to deliver their Sinclair and Scaraben floating offshore wind farms.
The Edinburgh-based consultancy will review innovative solutions and consider what opportunities and benefits they present, along with potential risks that may occur when bringing them to market.
Arup will also explore which solutions could accelerate and facilitate the delivery and operations of commercial-scale floating offshore wind projects in Scotland.
As the project evolves, Arup may also consider new innovations that emerge in the industry, evaluating their feasibility and implications for the partnership’s broader portfolio.
Portfolio director for the BlueFloat Energy and Nadara partnership David Robertson said: “Through our Sinclair and Scaraben projects, we are committed to unlocking ground-breaking innovations that will enhance the commercial scale roll out of floating offshore wind projects and ensure the UK remains at the forefront of this new technology.”
The 99.5MW Scaraben and Sinclair projects won their seabed exclusivity rights in 2023 following as part of the innovation element of the Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) leasing round initiated by Crown Estate Scotland in 2022.
Part of the INTOG programme’s remit was to create a proving ground for floating offshore wind projects.
By working in partnership with existing oil and gas infrastructure, new technologies and solutions could be deployed before they are scaled up on larger developments.
This could help accelerate the roll out of larger-scale wind farms in the future, reduce the levelised cost of floating offshore wind, and minimise the environmental impact of projects.
BlueFloat Energy and Nadara previously brought in First Marine Solutions (FMS) to design mooring solutions for the projects.
Arup renewable energy leader for the UK, India, Middle East and Africa Graeme McCann commented: “Our team of subject matter experts, spanning research and development, mooring, anchoring, structural engineering and environmental impact, are dedicated to supporting the successful deployment of innovative technologies on these groundbreaking projects.”
In addition to Sinclair and Scaraben, BlueFloat is developing the Bellrock, Broadshore and Stromar ScotWind projects off the coasts of Aberdeen, Fraserburgh and Caithness, respectively.
It is also working on the 1GW Llywellyn project off the coast of Wales and the 1GW Petroc project offshore Devon.
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