Mainstream Renewable Power and Siemens Financial Services partner up

As part of the wider development consortium, world-leading technology suppliers Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy and Siemens Energy will work with Mainstream and SFS from the very outset of the partnership as Tier One suppliers.

Combined, the group will create a dedicated multimillion pound fund to support its joint commitment of developing a competitive local supply chain to underpin the project’s development. This will ensure a holistic and focused approach to creating an indigenous Scottish supply chain across the entire development cycle of the project.

The consortium has already achieved success in developing a sustainable offshore wind supply chain in Hull and the Humber, England, following its development of the Hornsea zone.

The consortium enabled a competitive offshore-centred economy in the region, including Siemens Gamesa’s immensely successful blade manufacturing facility and service hub located at Green Port, Hull. Combined, these activities have created approximately 1000 jobs.

The Mainstream-SFS consortium’s objective is for similar benefits to be replicated in Scotland, and for initial investments to kickstart long-term positive economic impacts for local communities.

Scotland has enormous potential to become one of the world’s leading centres for offshore wind, and the consortium’s approach will be to collaborate with communities to ensure that this potential is realised equitably, delivering tangible local benefits.

To this end, community engagement and investments into re-skilling, training, employment and sourcing form a core part of the consortium’s proposals, along with decarbonising local industries.

The consortium and its partners already have extensive experience and commitments to Scotland, and plan to build on its established supply chains further.

Mainstream has developed and consented the 450 MW Neart na Gaoithe Offshore Wind Farm; Siemens Gamesa has installed over 60% of Scotland’s fully operational offshore wind turbine capacity; and Siemens Energy has invested almost £200 million into Scottish suppliers over the last five years while delivering renewables and transmission projects.

The consortium and its partners have strongly contributed to creating the offshore wind market that exists today. They are some of the most experienced offshore teams in the world:

• Mainstream, with its local team based out of its Offshore Centre of Excellence in Edinburgh, Scotland, has developed 20% of the UK’s offshore wind capacity in operation or under construction.
• SFS partnered with Mainstream to develop the 2.6 GW Hornsea wind farms.
• SFS has invested equity in over 5 GW of offshore wind projects under development, in construction or already operational.
• Siemens Gamesa has installed almost 70% of all offshore wind turbines worldwide.
• Siemens Energy has delivered more than half of Scotland’s offshore wind transmission capacity.

The consortium seeks to accelerate Scotland’s energy transition and will work with local communities and industries to provide a platform for long-term growth.

As well as demonstrating best practice in offshore wind development, the partners will also look to mobilise their collective expertise to explore ancillary technologies locally, including green hydrogen production.

By investing in this collaborative process from the early bidding stages, the consortium aims to unlock the true potential of Scotland’s energy and engineering heritage for a new energy future.

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