Scottish Ministers have approved key offshore permits for Orsted, Simply Blue Group and Subsea7’s 100MW Salamander floating wind farm.
Section 36 consent and associated marine licences have been granted by officials for the INTOG scheme located 35km off Peterhead.
Project director Hugh Yendole (pictured) said: “Coming hot on the heels of the onshore consent, this is yet another major achievement by the project team.
“We’d also like to give credit to the Scottish government, Marine Directorate licensing and operations team and NatureScot, who delivered on their commitment to resource up and enable shorter consenting periods for high quality applications.
“This, along with the phenomenal work done by the Salamander consenting and stakeholder teams, 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 project’s option agreement and then preparing to secure a Contract for Difference, the joint venture said.
Salamander will play a crucial role in derisking future floating offshore wind developments under the ScotWind leasing round, according to the developers.
“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,” they said.