Cerulean Winds signs Exclusivity Agreements for trio of UK floating wind sites

Cerulean Winds, the UK green energy infrastructure developer, has signed three floating wind Exclusivity Agreements as part of Crown Estate Scotland’s Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) leasing round.

Together these Agreements pave the way for the creation of the North Sea Renewables Grid, a basin-wide green power generation and transmission system that will supply energy to oil and gas assets, helping the sector to hit emissions reduction targets.

At the same time the multi-billion pound project will provide early opportunities to the domestic floating wind supply chain. Cerulean is already in the process of putting the necessary contracts in place to deliver the North Sea Renewables Grid, and the project is progressing through the development phase.

Dan Jackson, co-founder and director, Cerulean Winds, said: “This is a huge milestone in the creation of the North Sea Renewables Grid and we are incredibly grateful to Crown Estate Scotland for their support as we move to the next phase in delivering floating wind at an unprecedented scale in the UK.

“FEED work will begin in earnest with our Tier 1 delivery consortium setting up the packages of supply chain contracts in 2024 that will allow us to build out this development. To support this, we are also investing in new Scottish offices and in advanced talks with local ports and yards.

“The oil and gas industry is required for UK energy security for years to come but must fulfil its decarbonisation commitments. The North Sea Renewables Grid will be a vital cog in achieving that, while also setting the pace for other floating wind farms to follow.”

Independent analysis has shown that Aspen, Beech and Cedar – the three sites that will form the North Sea Renewables Grid – are expected to deliver over £10 billion combined in Gross Value Added (GVA) for the UK.

Across the development, construction, operational and maintenance phases the project is expected to create over 5,000 jobs in Scotland, with first power being targeted for 2028.

In the coming decade hundreds of floating turbines will be installed in waters off Scotland and the UK, and ensuring local companies realise maximum economic value from these projects will underpin a successful energy transition.

Crown Estate Scotland’s INTOG round, the results of which were announced in March, was split into two halves – one for larger projects linked to oil and gas infrastructure and one for smaller scale innovation initiatives.

Humza Malik, Cerulean board member and CEO of Frontier Power, added: “Key to the North Sea Renewables Grid’s development has been its ability to dovetail transmission with generation. This is a significant milestone and huge credit must go to Crown Estate Scotland for their shepherding of the process.

“This project will deliver vast benefits to the Scottish and UK offshore wind supply chains and – alongside our contractor consortium – we are already in advanced talks with strategic suppliers.

“We all know that green jobs will be the future of the energy industry, and the North Sea Renewables Grid will have a big hand in delivering this long-awaited boom.”

For more information, contact: Hamish Penman at hamish.penman@bigpartnership.co.uk