Aspen floating offshore wind project hits key application milestone

Located approximately 100 km offshore in the Central North Sea, Aspen will deliver 1 GW of renewable power, targeting first generation before 2030. Aspen is expected to support more than 1000 jobs, including 100 apprenticeships and attract a total investment of £10.9 billion across its 50-year lifespan.

The project is designed to enable oil and gas operators to rapidly decarbonise their operations, while simultaneously anchoring a floating offshore wind manufacturing base in Scotland. Careful site selection, early technology definition, and sensitive design decision development has ensured that impacts are minimised. Particular focus has been given to minimising interactions with fisheries and key bird species, while ensuring a robust and deliverable consent decision can be made at a pace to align with shared government ambitions for floating wind.

Lodged with the Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate Licensing Operations team, the applications are a key statutory milestone in securing offshore consent for Aspen. The supporting Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) sets out the project’s considerations of the marine and coastal environment, wildlife, and other sea users and details the measures Cerulean will take to avoid, minimise, or offset any impacts, ensuring the development is delivered responsibly and in line with regulatory requirements. The documents are widely available, giving the opportunity for the public and all other interested parties to further understand the project.

Colin Maciver, Senior Director, Cerulean Winds, responded: “We are pleased to meet this milestone in delivering the important Aspen floating project. We plan to build upon the pre-application engagements and look forward to proactive and meaningful dialogue with stakeholders to ensure the submission is well understood and practical solutions can be taken to ensure any remaining uncertainty or questions are addressed.”

This submission also paves the way for more engagement with the Scottish supply chain, while supporting the UK and Scottish Governments’ ambition to establish a world-leading floating wind supply chain.

By 2050, floating offshore wind could contribute over £47 billion to the UK economy and employ 100 000 people. Aspen will play a pivotal role in achieving this by creating green jobs and accelerating port and fabrication upgrades.

Dan Jackson, Founding Director of Cerulean Winds, added: “The submission of Aspen’s offshore consent applications is an important step in realising the UK’s floating offshore wind potential. It allows us to progress towards securing consent for one of the UK’s most significant floating offshore wind developments and to do so with a clear commitment to environmental responsibility. This milestone enables us to move forward with delivering 1 GW of clean power and supporting over 1000 jobs by anchoring a new industrial base for floating wind in Scotland. Aspen will play a major role in accelerating the energy transition and reducing emissions from oil and gas operations, all while creating long-term economic value for communities across the country.”

Aspen is being developed by a consortium of world-class partners – NOV, Siemens Energy, Bilfinger, and Ocean Installer – bringing proven expertise in delivering largescale offshore projects.

Haventus’ Ardersier Energy Transition facility near Inverness will act as the strategic hub for Aspen, becoming the UK’s first dedicated assembly, delivery, and operations centre for floating offshore wind. Anchoring this critical part of the supply chain in Scotland will help create a fully integrated industrial ecosystem, ensuring long-term economic value is retained in the UK.

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