Consenting for two Scottish wind farms totalling 2GW underway

Two Thistle Wind Partners-owned Scottish offshore wind farms have entered the consenting phase of development. The Ayre and Bodrun offshore wind farms will have a combined generation capacity of 2GW.

Bodrun will be a fixed foundation wind farm off the coast of Aberdeen. Ayre is a planned floating wind farm off the coast of Orkney, on the east coast of Scotland.

The 1GW Ayre floating wind farm will connect to the grid via underground cables at Caithness, near the village of Spittal, with a landfall point at Sinclair’s Bay. TWP began community engagement in the region last year.

Consenting for both wind farms is expected to be completed in 2025 and construction is planned to begin in 2029. On behalf of RPS, marine consultancy and survey company ABPmer will provide marine physical process assessments to support the consenting of the wind farms.

Physical process specialists will model the wave, hydrodynamic and sediment transport environment of the wind farm areas, to understand how these factors could impact the planned wind farms, as well as how the wind farm designs could influence coastal processes, sediment transport pathways, and morphological features on the seabed and at the coast.

Heidi Roberts, ABPmer project director, said: “We are delighted to support Ayre and Bowdun. These projects are expected to make a key contribution to Scotland’s renewable energy generation, in support of the Scottish government’s target of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2045.

“ABPmer brings a wealth of experience to the project, having undertaken EIA related studies for over 30 UK offshore wind projects, including Scotland’s Salamander, MarramWind, Beatrice, Moray East and Moray West Wind Farms, as well as post-consent coastal processes and metocean support.”

According to recent research from the Institute for Public Policy and Research (IPPR), the UK won’t meet its offshore wind targets until 2048. If manufacturing is ramped up in the UK, it could generate thousands of jobs and billions in revenue; if not, huge returns are at stake, and net zero goals will be threatened.

Aberdeen’s floating offshore wind

The Scottish government has set ambitious targets for offshore wind, aiming to generate 11GW by 2030, a significant portion of which is expected to come from floating wind. Port of Aberdeen set its sights on becoming a national centre for floating offshore wind.

Its strategic location, within 100 nautical miles of 17GW of planned floating offshore wind projects, supports this growth. Its plan includes a £25 million project to deepen its South Harbour basin to accommodate the growing demand for floating wind technology.