Cromarty Firth and Firth of Forth see major infrastructure developments as net zero investment grows
All around Scotland – particularly along the coastline – there is daily proof that sinews are being strained and investment plans laid down to build our future net-zero energy infrastructure.
A leap forward in the North Sea’s energy transition is turning redundant oil and gas semi-submersible installations into floating wind platforms. Floating wind farms and the innovative structures required are still evolving but the predicted benefits in the newer platform design is that they may be deployed in shallower offshore sites, and closer to urban demand.
The downside is that the engineering obstacles of operating massive structures in moving sea conditions makes them much more expensive.
So a first commercial stage in the development of floating wind farm structures has been the Innovation and Targeted Oil & Gas (INTOG) leasing round, led by Crown Estate Scotland, for offshore wind projects. There are two types of project, ‘IN’ Projects, of under 100MW, and ‘TOG’, which are connected directly to the existing oil and gas infrastructures which are being decommissioned.
One project that is surging ahead is Crown Estate Scotland’s option agreement with Flotation Energy and Vårgrønn for the 560MW Green Volt INTOG project, which will help decarbonise North Sea oil and gas installations. Flotation Energy is headquartered in Edinburgh, while Vårgrønn is a Norwegian-based company and a joint venture between Plenitude (Eni) and HitecVision, a Norwegian investment company.
Such projects are becoming the lifeblood of Scotland’s supply chain – and the local port and harbouring facilities. Green Volt, which received onshore consent in April 2024, has announced it had awarded front-end engineering and design (FEED) Phase 1 contracts.
After investors in the offshore renewable industry balked over the UK Government’s Contract for Difference (CfD) Allocation Round 5 (AR5), which failed to gain subscribers, the projects under Allocation Round 6 (AR6) are back on track. But floating wind challenges poses particular challenges.
The failure of Pentland Floating Wind Farm, an experimental project developed by Highland Wind Ltd, owned by Flagship Funds managed by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) with Hexicon as a minority shareholder, in gaining access to the AR6 round, highlights the risks.
Richard Copeland, project director of the Pentland Floating Offshore Wind Farm, said: “Demonstration projects like Pentland remain of significant importance in enabling floating offshore wind, a key technology in accelerating Scotland and the UK’s transition towards net zero and underpinning energy security,” he says.
Green Volt is expecting to produce power in 2029. The offshore wind farm will be connected by deep-sea cable to a landing point just north of Peterhead, and then an electricity cable will be buried in the rich farmlands of Banff and Buchan to a national grid connection near New Deer.
This extra level of difficulty in the innovation of floating wind is recognised in the UK. The CfD for fixed bottom offshore wind in the AR6 round is 73p, while the figure for FLOW is 176p.
This wind bonanza means that massive engineering servicing facilities are required.
The Port of Cromarty Firth has recently been awarded more than £55m by the UK Government to smooth the way for floating wind. It is the latest investment in the vital port infrastructure in Scotland.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero confirmed the Floating Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Scheme (FLOWMIS) funding for the Invergordon-based Trust Port’s ‘Phase 5’ expansion, which aims to establish the UK’s first custom-built integration hub for floating offshore windfarm construction.
Inch Cape will have a significant impact on Scotland’s energy transition
The Port of Cromarty Firth is trying to secure match-funding from banks and other investors, and to award a pre-construction contract to kick-off work on Phase 5, which must be completed in 2027.
The expansion project is expected to create between 170 and 320 jobs in the construction phase. When complete, it will provide the larger facilities needed for the construction, installation and operational support to offshore and floating offshore wind.
The port’s deep, sheltered waters are suited to accommodating the large ships which will deliver the major components required for offshore wind, such as the towers, blades, steel or concrete floating foundations. Once received onto the Quay West and new Phase 5 laydown area, the floating turbines will be assembled and pre-commissioned, before being towed to the wind farm site.
FLOWMIS was launched in 2023 as part of the UK Government’s Powering Up Britain plans and Port of Cromarty Firth and ABP Port Talbot in Wales have provisionally been awarded the funding.
Alex Campbell, chief executive of Port of Cromarty Firth, said the port is delighted that FLOWMIS funding has been secured for its expansion.
“It also recognises the Cromarty Firth’s position among industry and government as the most logical location for a strategic national floating wind hub, due to its sheltered deep waters, proximity to wind farm sites, and skilled local workforce and supply chain, with huge experience in delivering large energy projects such as the multi-billion-pound Moray West,” says Campbell.
“We believe the certainty from this announcement will also unlock further investment in other ports across the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport to boost their complementary plans – for instance the assembly of floating wind foundations.”
Further south, more investment is being made by Forth Ports, the UK’s third largest port operator. A £50m private investment in infrastructure at the Port of Leith came after it secured its largest ever offshore wind contract, the delivery of the 1.1 gigawatt (GW) Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm.
Forth Ports’ agreement with Inch Cape, to be sited off the Angus coast, will utilise the port operator’s bespoke facilities and expertise at newly-created renewable energy hubs at both the Port of Leith and Port of Dundee.
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: “Investment in key sectors such as Scotland’s ports can reap rewards. This is why the Scottish Budget commits £150m to the offshore wind infrastructure and supply – to attract private investment such as this announcement from Forth Ports.
“Supported by Forth Green Freeport incentives, the Leith Renewables Hub will bring well-paid green jobs and ensure Scotland is best placed to develop a world-leading renewables sector while progressing to net zero.
“The Scottish Government’s Green Industrial Strategy identifies how we can work better, smarter and quicker to create an investor-friendly environment and seize the many opportunities for green growth which lie ahead.”
Stuart Wallace, chief executive officer, Forth Ports said: “Inch Cape represents a very significant milestone for Forth Ports as it is the largest offshore wind contract ever to be awarded to our business. When it goes live, Inch Cape will have a significant impact on Scotland’s energy transition as the country drives to achieve net zero carbon emissions.
“Our strategy is to create and build the renewables hubs ahead of market demand and we have achieved this in Dundee and Leith. Coupled with other specialist facilities delivered by Forth Projects, this creates an unrivalled prime position for Forth Ports to deliver large offshore wind projects.”
The pre-assembly and marshalling of the wind farm’s 72 turbines – comprising 72 nacelles, 216 blades and 72 towers – will be undertaken by Vestas in the Port of Dundee, announced as a hub for Inch Cape in 2022.
Once completed in 2027, Inch Cape – one of Scotland’s largest offshore wind farms – will generate enough green energy to power half of Scotland’s homes.
The Vestas 15 megawatt (MW) turbines will be the tallest ever deployed in Scottish waters at a height of 274m (20m taller than Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh). There is also a new onshore substation now under construction on the former Cockenzie Power Station site in East Lothian.
