UK energy plan must protect Scotland’s generational floating wind opportunity

Since 1136, Port of Aberdeen has stood at the gateway between Scotland and the North Sea; unforgiving but bountiful waters that have tested generations of seafarers, powered industries and helped shape the fortunes of communities along its shores.

That relationship has, for the last half century at least, been defined by oil and gas, the industry that transformed Aberdeen into an international energy hub. During that time Port of Aberdeen has served as a critical base for offshore operations, and these will remain central to our activity for years to come. But as a business with almost 900 years of history, we know that standing still is not an option. 

Our future, as ever, lies in looking out to sea. As the UK seeks to harness its enormous renewable resources, floating wind - which can be placed in deeper waters, out of reach of fixed bottom turbines - represents a substantial opportunity for Scotland plc. 

We are already home to the world's largest grid-connected floating wind farm, just a few miles from the Granite City. While it only comprises five turbines - some ScotWind projects will run into the hundreds – the Kincardine Floating Offshore Wind Farm is a bold first step. It’s a statement of intent; an illustration of potential. 

If projects progress as planned, it should be just the start, but realising the full potential of this generational pipeline of work depends on resolving a niche but critical policy issue that threatens to hold it back.

In Scotland alone, Crown Estate Scotland’s ScotWind and INTOG offshore wind leasing programmes, the results of which were released in 2022 and 2023 respectively, have created 23.5 gigawatts (GW) of floating potential. While ScotWind opened up areas of Scotland’s seabed for commercial-scale offshore wind development, INTOG was designed to encourage smaller, innovative projects and those dedicated to supplying green energy directly to North Sea infrastructure, a must if the UK’s oil and gas industry is to continue trimming its operational emissions.

For context, 1GW of capacity is enough to power nearly 700,000 homes, based on the Scottish Government's Renewable Electricity Output Calculator. Fully realised, Scotland’s floating pipeline could provide enough energy for over 16 million UK homes. 

Our £420m South Harbour opened in September 2023 and we’re now around 90% ready to service Scotland's floating wind pipeline, backed by more than 50 years of offshore energy supply chain expertise.

Building on this capability, we are exploring the opportunity to become a major component replacement (MCR) hub. This shared industry facility would go a long way to answering the vital question of how floating assets in deeper water, with a multi-decade lifespan will be maintained, a prerequisite before developers commit their cash to these projects.

A turbine would be disconnected offshore, towed into the MCR hub, secured alongside the quay, repaired and towed back to site. Developers could reserve crane capacity for planned maintenance campaigns, while it would also be available for unexpected repairs.

Aberdeen, the closest major port to 80% of the ScotWind and INTOG floating pipeline, is the natural location for such a facility. We invested in South Harbour to support this critical industry, but it needs policy to deliver the projects.

The UK Government is in the process of finalising its Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP), a long-term national blueprint that will determine where Britain's offshore wind gets built and connected.

In the coming months the National Energy System Operator (NESO) - Great Britain's independent body responsible for operating and planning the country's energy systems - will present the UK’s Energy Secretary, Miatta Fahnbulleh, with six possible strategic pathways. 

Of those half dozen options that go to the Secretary of State, only two properly support Scotland’s offshore wind pipeline and the grid connections it depends on, and even they may not provide the conditions needed to unlock the full potential of floating wind.

Should another pathway be selected, a significant portion of Scotland’s offshore wind pipeline - on which hopes for a just transition for oil and gas workers rest – risks being delayed, scaled back or quietly shelved. Trade bodies and unions put the stakes at more than 21,000 potential jobs a year and tens of billions of pounds of investment.

Great British Energy, the publicly owned energy investment vehicle, is already exploring how a shared MCR facility could be delivered, but any inaction on delivering floating wind will come with a real cost for the domestic supply chain.  

Floating structures in Scottish waters have, to date, been almost entirely integrated or repaired in the likes of Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway. 

Cooperation will always be part of the energy sector and that means work with our neighbours across the water, as Port of Aberdeen has for hundreds of years, but we mustn’t forget we’re competing globally. We must realise value for our supply chain, deliver for our workforce, and, more bluntly, our established offshore expertise means we should be able to service Scottish offshore wind in Scotland. 

Ports and harbours, from Lerwick to Leith, need the UK Government to back an SSEP pathway that captures all of ScotWind and INTOG, and the grid connections they need.

Beyond that, back Aberdeen as Europe’s Capital of Energy Excellence by making it home to a shared MCR hub, ensuring Scotland’s energy supply chain captures as much floating wind work as possible. Work with Port of Aberdeen and floating developers to turn a disparate collection of projects into a genuine industry.

We have served the North Sea since 1136. Floating wind is the next chapter and the decision on where it is built is being made now. Let's make sure the map includes the ports and skills ready to deliver it.

This article was originally published in The Scotsman.