THE CROWN ESTATE has signed off on an exclusivity agreement as part of their Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas leasing round.
Salamander, a joint venture between Ørsted, Simply Blue Group and Subsea7, has signed an the agreement alongside the Crown Estate.
The 100 MW Salamander floating offshore wind project, located 35km off Peterhead, is designed to provide Scotland and its supply chain with an early opportunity to deliver floating offshore wind ahead of the larger-scale ScotWind buildout.
Now, with Exclusivity Agreement in place, the project will start offshore wind development work while Marine Scotland’s planning process for the INTOG Sectoral Marine Plan (INTOG SMP) is completed.
It is expected that there are gigawatts of floating wind buildout expected in Scotland and the UK over the next decade.
This will allow Salamander to be a valuable stepping-stone to ensure local supply chains are ready and able to take full advantage of this opportunity.
Salamander will demonstrate a package of innovative technologies at commercial scale, readying them for roll out in utility-scale projects such as the ScotWind leases.
These technologies will be critical to ensuring floating offshore wind energy is deliverable, affordable for consumers and contributes value to local industry and business.
The INTOG round was split into two pots – one for smaller scale innovation projects of 100 MW or less and one for larger projects linked to oil and gas infrastructure.
Salamander was successful in the innovation route and has now signed the exclusivity agreement.
A series of public consultations are set to be held by the Salamander floating offshore wind project next month.
The in-person consultation events will take place from 2pm – 8pm on Wednesday, 7 June at Balmoor Stadium, Peterhead.
Another session from 10am to 2pm on Thursday, 8 June will take place at Crimond Public Hall.
Each event will include a short presentation, a question-and-answer session, and opportunities to provide project feedback.
The consultation will also be open virtually via the Salamander website between Monday, 5 June and Friday, 23 June.
