Simply Blue Energy and Subsea 7 have entered into a joint venture to develop the Salamander floating offshore wind project in Scotland.
The joint venture, in which Subsea 7 has a minority interest, will focus on developing the pre-commercial project of up to 200 MW off the North East Coast of Scotland.
As the concept matures, it is anticipated that a strategic investor will be sought to support the execution of the project.
Salamander will require a lease in due course from the Crown Estate Scotland, under the innovation and oil and gas decarbonization leasing activities referenced in the Offshore Wind Sectoral Marine Plan, Simply Blue Energy said.
The project plans to use a floating platform concept that includes several innovations to allow this technology to be manufactured quickly with high local content.
In addition, a low draft requirement for the foundation will enable approximately 50% more Scottish ports to be considered for marshaling and assembly than would otherwise be the case, the company added.
“Despite best intentions, previous projects have not achieved the hoped-for regional supply chain benefits, but we believe that for the supply chain to capitalise on the opportunities from ScotWind, a stepping-stone project like Salamander is needed,” Sam Roch-Perks , CEO of Simply Blue said.
“The Salamander project has followed a different approach to selecting a foundation technology. We have studied the capabilities of the supply chain in Scotland and, after a thorough analysis, we are focusing on a technology that we believe can, to a significant extent, be delivered locally. We are engaging with the supply chain to consolidate this research with great support coming from the DeepWind cluster.”