Will an underwater innovation unlock the future of Scottish wind?

Aker Offshore Wind (AOW), the renewable energy arm of the Norwegian industrial conglomerate Aker, has announced plans for an underwater substation as part of its joint bid with Ocean Winds for multiple floating wind farms off the east coast of Scotland.

Ocean Winds, itself a joint venture between EDP Renewables and ENGIE, together with AOW, have unveiled plans to bid on several floating sites in the Outer Moray Firth. Part of the ScotWind licensing program the Scottish government has set up for managing seabed property rights for offshore renewable energy projects. The combined production of the sites will total 6 GW, the largest wind energy project in the UK to date.

Substations are critical components of wind farm infrastructure, bringing together the electricity generated by individual wind turbines and transforming it into a high-voltage transmission to be sent onshore. Traditionally built above sea level on purpose-built platforms, moving substations to the sea-bed has many advantages, including decreased maintenance, natural sea-water cooling, and increased reliability.

As wind farms move into deeper, harsher waters, creating underwater substations is another key innovation to smooth the process. “This is a world-leading innovation that would be developed, manufactured and supplied in Scotland,” says Sian Lloyd-Rees, managing director of Aker Offshore Wind UK. “Both the Aker group and Ocean Winds have the necessary heritage and experience to deliver this at scale. We know the benefit is there – it will revolutionise how energy is produced and present Scotland with the opportunity to export genuinely innovative technology to the rest of the world.”

AOW and Ocean Winds have committed to a minimum of 40% Scottish supply chain content for the projects. Including the design, engineering and manufacture of the substations. The companies expect to create thousands of direct and indirect Scottish jobs and provide a significant boost to the Scottish economy. As well as generating sizable export opportunities with the technology.

Sian Lloyd-Rees says, “We can create thousands of highly-skilled local jobs through billions of pounds of investment in local supply chains and infrastructure. Our bid would deliver for the next generation by harnessing the green power and extraordinary potential of Scotland’s deep water resources. Floating offshore wind is the next step in the renewable revolution, and we’re delighted to partner with Ocean Winds to unveil our ambitious plan for Scotland’s future.”

Ocean Winds are currently completing the Moray East wind farm and have successfully utilised the Scottish supply chain for that project. Dan Finch, Managing Director for Ocean Winds UK, says, “Ocean Winds has worked at the cutting edge of technological innovation to deliver world-leading reductions in the cost of offshore wind energy generation at our Moray East project with innovations from foundation construction to turbine interconnection. The development of subsea substations is another major step forward in terms of using world leading energy technology from our partners, Aker… By including this proposal in our ScotWind bid, we can position Scotland at the front of the world’s offshore wind market, with a new, innovative technology, offering the economic opportunities associated with a new product with global demand prospects.”