News
Published in: Wind, Press Releases
Salamander Offshore Wind Farm, one of the most advanced floating wind projects in the UK, has been awarded Section 36 Consent and associated Marine Licences.
With this consent, the Scottish Government grants Salamander’s developers the go-ahead to build and operate the floating array.
A joint venture partnership between Ørsted, Simply Blue Group and Subsea7, Salamander’s floating array will be sited approximately 35 km off the coast of Peterhead and have a capacity of up to 100 MW. It will play a crucial role in unlocking the full potential of Scotland’s deepwater wind resources and setting the stage for future ScotWind developments by demonstrating cutting-edge floating wind technology at a commercial scale.
Achieving Section 36 Consent represents a major milestone for both the project and the delivery of the floating offshore wind pipeline. It also marks a significant step forward in the Scottish Government’s commitment to the floating offshore wind industry. Their doubling of governmental consenting resource in 2024 likely contributed to the Directorate’s ability to grant this consent in around 15 months.
The recommendation from the Marine Directorate Licensing and Operations (MD-LOT) team with valuable input from key stakeholders such as NatureScot, now approved by Scottish Ministers, bolsters the Scottish supply chain.
It will be crucial in helping derisk future floating offshore wind developments under the ScotWind leasing round. By delivering an innovative floating offshore wind farm ahead of the ScotWind projects, Salamander provides invaluable insights into the technical, regulatory, and commercial challenges associated with floating wind deployment in Scottish waters.
Salamander is the first of the innovation (IN) projects from the INTOG leasing round to reach this exciting stage.
Combined with the recent award of onshore Planning Permission in Principle for the project’s onshore works in March 2025, passing this considerable milestone ensures that the project remains firmly on track for deployment before the end of 2030.
Project director Hugh Yendole commented: “Coming hot on the heels of the onshore consent, this is yet another major achievement by the project team. While we worked proactively with MD-LOT in an attempt to achieve offshore consent - including compensation plans - within the 12-month target window, award within 15 months reflects our team’s expertise, passion, commitment and seamless teamwork.
“We’d also like to give credit to the Scottish Government, MD-LOT and NatureScot, who delivered on their commitment to resource up and enable shorter consenting periods for high quality applications (Salamander’s being comprehensive and clear enough not to need Supplementary Environmental Information). This, along with the phenomenal work done by the Salamander consenting and stakeholder teams - ably supported by the rest of the JV team - bodes well for Salamander’s goal as a stepping stone innovation project of unlocking the Scottish supply chain ahead of the larger ScotWind build out.”
Focus will now shift to working with Crown Estate Scotland to secure the Option Agreement and then preparing to secure a Contract for Difference.
About Ørsted
The Ørsted vision is a world that runs entirely on green energy. Ørsted develops, constructs, and operates offshore and onshore wind farms, solar farms, energy storage facilities, and bioenergy plants, and provides energy products to its customers. Globally, Ørsted is the market leader in offshore wind and it is constructing the world’s biggest offshore wind farm off the UK’s East Coast.
Ørsted is recognised on the CDP Climate Change A-List as a global leader on climate action and was the first energy company in the world to have its science-based net-zero emissions target validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Headquartered in Denmark, Ørsted employs approx. 8,000 people, including over 1,100 in the UK.
Visit orsted.co.uk or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter
About Simply Blue Group
Simply Blue Group, headquartered in Cork, Ireland, is a leading renewable energy developer with a focus on replacing fossil fuels with clean energy. It develops pioneering renewable energy projects both offshore and onshore wind, and low-impact aquaculture – all in harmony with the oceans. The company has a global pipeline of over 10 GW of floating offshore wind projects.
Simply Blue Group is committed to creating new local economic opportunities and develop projects that can co-exist with local communities.
With an experienced and passionate team, Simply Blue Group has offices in Cork, Dublin, Belfast, Newquay, Pembrokeshire, Edinburgh, Bilbao, and Nova Scotia.
To find out more about us, please visit www.simplybluegroup.com
About Subsea7
Subsea7 is a global leader in the delivery of offshore projects and services for the energy industry. Subsea7 makes offshore energy transition possible through the continuous evolution of lower-carbon oil and gas and by enabling the growth of renewables and emerging energy. It creates sustainable value by delivering the offshore energy transition solutions the world needs, for today and tomorrow.
To find out more visit www.subsea7.com or Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.
