It was announced this week that the Green Volt floating offshore wind project off the Aberdeenshire coast has been granted offshore planning approval.

Leading offshore wind developers Flotation Energy and Vårgrønn, a joint venture between Plenitude (Eni) and HitecVision, are partnering to create what will be the first commercial-scale floating offshore wind farm in Europe. The north-east Scotland development will feature 35 floating offshore wind turbines, providing up to 560MW of renewable energy capacity.

Green Volt also forms part of Crown Estate Scotland’s Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) leasing round and is the first such project to receive consent. As part of INTOG it will deliver renewable electricity to oil and gas platforms, replacing power generation from gas and diesel, in turn reducing carbon emissions and contributing to decarbonising North Sea operations. The development will also provide electricity to the UK grid.

Estimates suggest the project could trigger up to £3billion of investment, while supporting hundreds of jobs before it comes on stream in 2029.

Responding to the news, Neil Gordon, chief executive of Global Underwater Hub, said: 
“The Green Volt INTOG project gaining consent from Scottish Government agencies is a major step forward for the development of UK floating offshore wind and the country’s emission reduction targets. It will help bring clean, green energy to the national grid, while also powering offshore oil and gas installations as part of the energy transition.

“When fully operational at the end of this decade, Green Volt will be among the largest operational floating offshore windfarms in the world.  Such projects offer significant opportunities for companies in the UK’s underwater supply chain, which has extensive transferable expertise that was built up in the subsea oil and gas sector. Areas of real strength for the supply chain are around subsea cables, mooring lines and anchoring systems.

“Floating offshore wind was pioneered in Scottish waters and Green Volt is set to deliver another world first. Countries around the world have taken a keen interest in this form of offshore wind power, providing an opportunity for the UK to once again export its underwater knowledge and expertise. This 35-turbine operational development will showcase what is possible on a scale not seen before and demonstrate the energy transition in action.”

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