Salamander, a joint venture partnership between Ørsted, Simply Blue Group and Subsea7, has submitted an offshore consent application for its proposed 100 MW floating offshore wind farm.

This marks a big step forward in the delivery of the project, located 35km off the coast of Peterhead, which was a successful Innovation bidder in Crown Estate Scotland’s Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) leasing round. 

Subject to approval by Scottish Ministers, the offshore consent application will grant permission for the offshore elements of the project, which aims to be a stepping-stone in the UK’s journey to net zero.

Crucially, Salamander will give the Scottish floating wind supply chain a major early capability development opportunity, supporting its scale-up ahead of the pipeline of projects leased under the ScotWind and INTOG seabed leasing rounds.

The INTOG round awarded Exclusivity Agreements to two types of projects—small scale innovation projects of less than 100 MW, and larger projects aiming to decarbonize oil and gas infrastructure. Salamander bid for and won an Exclusivity Agreement under the innovation category.

The Salamander team has committed to focusing on Scottish content, in both construction and operation, to help de-risk the future pipeline and attract investment, maximizing the benefit Scotland will see from the renewables transition.

The deployment of innovative technologies will inform best practice and increase industry confidence ahead of a wider buildout of floating wind later this decade.

Hugh Yendole, Project Director for Salamander said: “We have submitted a high-quality, thorough consent application and we’re committed to continue working with the necessary stakeholders throughout the approval process.

“Ambitious targets from both the Scottish and UK governments are not yet complemented by the infrastructure and supply chain required to deliver the floating wind pipeline in the UK. The timely delivery of Salamander is critical for industry in ensuring we provide opportunities to enable the UK supply chain—we want to encourage investment in local ports and indigenous technologies that will pave the way for a decarbonized future.”

Joint-venture partner Ørsted also has a track record of delivering socio-economic benefits to the areas where it has previously developed and continues to operate renewable energy projects.

Community engagement continues, with a third public consultation event planned to take place on May 29th at the Scottish Maritime Academy in Peterhead, from 12:00pm to 6:00pm. This event will present the whole project but focus on the details of the onshore consent application to be submitted later in 2024.