Our Approach

Stakeholder Engagement

The Projects benefit from the Project Partners’ established relationships with all relevant stakeholders, including knowledge of their interests and priorities, which are the product of more than 15 years of offshore wind development in Scotland. A Stakeholder Management Plan has been developed, which identifies the stakeholders that will be consulted during the development of the Project.

Route to market for energy production

The primary route to market will be through the UK’s CfD scheme, with support for floating offshore wind already announced by the UK Government. The Project Partners are also exploring alternative routes to market, such as Power-to-X technology where renewable power can be converted to carbon-neutral synthetic fuels such as hydrogen or ammonia. In parallel with securing key offshore consents, the Project Partners are undertaking activities to maximise success in CfD auctions and other routes to market. This will include extensive front-end engineering, procurement, and finance-related activities to support the technical and commercial optimisation and competitive position of the Projects.

Development Activities

In addition to undertaking a comprehensive feasibility study to demonstrate the robustness of the projects, the Project Partners have commenced baseline aerial surveys (ornithology and marine mammals) across the project areas. This is a key critical path activity, which along with the Project Partners unparalleled understanding of Scottish offshore wind environmental and consenting issues, will allow the projects to be rapidly developed.

The Project Partners have also secured pre-CION grid connection offers for the projects, providing additional definition to the project and accelerating this essential aspect of the project.

Skills Development

The offshore wind industry is experiencing significant growth globally, and the Project Partners are cognisant of the impact this will have on the availability of skilled and experienced resources. As a result, they are working proactively to ensure they retain, develop, and grow their pool of talent and expertise. Recent efforts include:

• Ensuring a high inflow of new professionals into the industry through the STEM Returners Programme, graduate recruitment programmes, summer internships, and industrial placements.
• Retaining and attracting individuals with attractive workplace conditions, competitive employee benefits packages, and opportunities for career development.
• Building Scottish professional communities and competency centres such as SSER’s Centre of Engineering and Renewable Energy in Glasgow and COP’s Global Floating Offshore Wind Competence Centre in Edinburgh.