Shell and ScottishPower bid to bring large-scale floating windfarms to UK waters

Shell and ScottishPower have joined forces to bid to develop the world’s first large-scale floating offshore windfarms in the north-east of Scotland. The proposed projects – part of Crown Estate Scotland’s ScotWind Leasing – will help decarbonise the UK and support the green economic recovery.

Floating offshore wind – a technology that is poised to scale up – is suitable for use in deeper water zones, where fixed foundations aren’t feasible, making it ideal for Scottish waters. It is expected to become an increasingly important part of the energy mix in the UK as more and more offshore wind power is brought on to the grid to meet net zero targets.

The two companies have over 15 years of combined experience in floating offshore wind. The combined ScottishPower Renewables/Iberdrola and Shell portfolio includes over 2 GW of operational offshore wind, over 11 GW of offshore wind in development and over 700 MW of floating wind in various stages of development.

ScotWind Leasing is the first round of seabed leasing for offshore wind in Scottish waters in over a decade and will grant property rights for new large-scale offshore wind project development, including floating wind for the first time. Crown Estate Scotland is expected to announce the results of this round of ScotWind Leasing in early 2022.