Salamander offshore wind farm secures critical offshore consent award

With this consent, the Scottish Government grants Salamander’s developers the go-ahead to build and operate the floating array.

A joint venture partnership between Ørsted, Simply Blue Group, and Subsea7, Salamander’s floating array will be sited approximately 35 km off the coast of Peterhead and have a capacity of up to 100 MW. It will play a crucial role in unlocking the full potential of Scotland’s deepwater wind resources and setting the stage for future ScotWind developments by demonstrating cutting-edge floating wind technology at a commercial scale.

Achieving Section 36 consent represents a major milestone for both the project and the delivery of the floating offshore wind pipeline. It also marks a significant step forward in the Scottish Government’s commitment to the floating offshore wind industry. Their doubling of governmental consenting resource in 2024 likely contributed to the Directorate’s ability to grant this consent in around 15 months.

The recommendation from the Marine Directorate Licensing and Operations (MD-LOT) team with valuable input from key stakeholders such as NatureScot, now approved by Scottish Ministers, bolsters the Scottish supply chain. It will be crucial in helping de-risk future floating offshore wind developments under the ScotWind leasing round. By delivering an innovative floating offshore wind farm ahead of the ScotWind projects, Salamander provides invaluable insights into the technical, regulatory, and commercial challenges associated with floating wind deployment in Scottish waters. Salamander is the first of the projects from the INTOG leasing round to reach this stage.

Combined with the recent award of onshore ‘Planning Permission in Principle’ for the project’s onshore works in March 2025, passing this considerable milestone ensures that the project remains firmly on track for deployment before the end of 2030.

Project Director, Hugh Yendole, commented: “Coming hot on the heels of the onshore consent, this is yet another major achievement by the project team. While we worked proactively with MD-LOT in an attempt to achieve offshore consent – including compensation plans – within the 12-month target window, award within 15 months reflects our team’s expertise, passion, commitment, and seamless teamwork.

We’d also like to give credit to the Scottish Government, MD-LOT, and NatureScot, who delivered on their commitment to resource up and enable shorter consenting periods for high quality applications (Salamander’s being comprehensive and clear enough not to need Supplementary Environmental Information). This, along with the phenomenal work done by the Salamander consenting and stakeholder teams – ably supported by the rest of the joint development team – bodes well for Salamander’s goal as a stepping stone innovation project of unlocking the Scottish supply chain ahead of the larger ScotWind build out.”

Focus will now shift to working with Crown Estate Scotland to secure an Option Agreement and then preparing to secure a Contract for Difference.

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