Europe’s ‘first commercial-scale floating wind project’ wins approval

The Scottish government has given the green light to a first-of-its-kind 560MW floating offshore wind farm that is aimed at decarbonising North Sea oil and gas.

Green Volt said it has now received all its planning approvals and remains on track to be the “first commercial-scale offshore wind farm in Europe.”

Green Volt, which will feature up to 35 floating wind turbines, is part of the Crown Estate Scotland’s Innovation and Targeted Oil & Gas (INTOG) leasing round.

The project will deliver renewable electricity to oil and gas platforms, replacing existing natural gas and diesel power generation. It will also deliver power to the UK grid.

Green Volt is 50% owned by Vårgronn — a joint venture between Plenitude (Eni) and HitecVision — and Scottish developer Flotation Energy.

Humza Yousaf, First Minister of Scotland, is quoted in a Green Volt press release today as saying the approval is a “significant milestone which will help secure Scotland’s place at the forefront of floating wind technology.”

“Scotland is one of the best places in the world to develop offshore wind and its supply chain and we are determined to maximise the huge economic opportunity offshore wind can bring,” said Yousaf.

He said that consents and marine licences were issued for ahead of the closure of the application window for the UK’s upcoming green energy auction, AR6.

Nicol Stephen, CEO at Flotation Energy, said: “Gaining consent just over a year after our seabed exclusivity was awarded is a testament to the commitment, speed and determination of our Green Volt team, the Scottish Government and its key agencies.”

Olav Hetland, CEO at Vårgrønn, said Green Volt serves as an “essential stepping stone” from current small-scale floating wind projects to “gigawatt-size developments, supporting the supply chain in scaling up new technology.”

“Floating wind is set to be a huge global market in the decades to come. By being a frontrunner, Scotland is now positioned to be home to world-leading expertise and a whole industry of new jobs.”

Although Green Volt made the cut for the AR6 round, British developer SSE was less fortunate with its massive Berwick Bank project.

The Scottish government did not grant approval to that project – planned to generate up to 4.1GW of power, making it one of the largest offshore wind farms in the world – in time for the deadline for applications for AR6, which passed on Friday.

That project would represent a sizable chunk of the Scottish government’s plans to build 11GW of offshore wind by 2030.