Hywind Scotland Pilot Park, first multi-turbine floating offshore wind farm
The first multi-turbine floating offshore wind farm is installed in the UK 30 km off the coast of Aberdeen. The project features five Siemens Gamesa 6 MW turbines mounted on spar floating substructures. Hywind Scotland follows on from a successful Norwegian demo project using a single 2.3 MW turbine which was installed off the coast of Norway in 2009.
Erebus, first floating offshore Celtic Sea project
Simply Blue Energy and Total (now TotalEnergies) secure a lease for their 96 MW Erebus project in the Celtic Sea from The Crown Estate.
Kincardine Offshore Wind Farm, second multi-turbine floating offshore wind farm
The second multi-turbine floating offshore wind farm is installed in the UK. This project features five Vestas 9.5 MW turbines mounted on Principle Power semi-submersible floating substructures and becomes the largest floating offshore wind farm in the world.
Celtic Sea floating offshore projects
The Crown Estate awards three more test and demonstration licences for three 100 MW projects in the Celtic Sea. These are: Cobra Group/Flotation Energy’s 100 MW Whitecross project, and Cierco’s Lyr 1 and 2 projects each rated at 100 MW.
Wave Hub, renewable energy test site in Cornwall acquired by Hexicon
Swedish floating developer Hexicon acquires the Wave Hub renewable energy test site in Cornwall, which has permits and grid connection in place to allow the installation of up to 40 MW of capacity. The site will feature the first deployment of the TwinWind floating substructure technology.
Floating projects included in CfD Allocation Round 4
The UK Energy Ministry BEIS publishes its terms for Allocation Round 4, which is open to participation from floating offshore wind projects for the first time. Floating projects for delivery in 2025-2027 compete for supports against other eligible ‘less established’ technologies, but BEIS ringfences budget in this technology pot for first access to floating offshore wind projects. EDF’s 58.4 MW Blyth Phase 2 and Hexicon’s TwinWind demonstrator are expected to participate.
Scotwind lease round
In January, 17 new projects were awarded leases through Crown Estate Scotland’s Scotwind process. 10 projects that will use floating technology secured 15 GW of the 24 GW total capacity awarded in the round. The sea bed leasing process raised a total of £700 million in option fee payments for the treasury.
In August an additional three floating projects totalling 2.8 GW were awarded off Shetland.