Ocean Winds and Aker Offshore Wind have unveiled a virtual realty design of what a manufacturing base for floating offshore wind in Scotland would look like.
The immersive experience was developed in conjunction with the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland at the University of Strathclyde and is part of an early investment process to attract global investors to the Scottish floating offshore industry.
An engagement event was held at the university earlier this week with a range of international fabricators with an active interest in Scottish developments.
The virtual experience will enable early engagement with fabricators to help them get ready for the ScotWind roll-out and shape the design of the plant based on their fabrication delivery capability, Ocean Winds said.
The company added that the approach taken will ensure that international representatives will have time to design and prepare the base in time for bidding for work.
The VR model will be shared globally with other fabricators looking to establish and choose the location of a site in Scotland for the fabrication and assembly of floating platforms.
It will also be used locally within the Scottish and UK supply chain which stands to benefit from the creation of new jobs and opportunities, Ocean Winds said.
Ocean Winds UK managing director Dan Finch said. “”Our vision is Scotland leading the world in the commercial scale deployment of floating offshore wind generation.
“Today, we have brought that vision to life so we can share it with the global supply chain who will turn it into a reality at a site in Scotland.”
Aker Offshore Wind UK managing director Sian Lloyd-Rees said: “We want to capitalise on the extraordinary economic and environmental opportunity facing Scotland,
“We are committed to working with fabricators in Scotland and across the UK, supporting them with early investment and collaboration to get ready to deliver globally-competitive solutions for Scotwind.”
Principle Power director of business development, Northern Europe Cian Conroy said: “It is great to see the level of ambition from Ocean Winds and Aker Offshore Wind in the Scotwind leasing round.”
“The commitment to scale coupled with the early selection of technology are key enablers for the future of floating offshore wind.
“Early engagement with ports and fabricators is key to enabling the establishment of robust supply chains. This will crucially tailor the delivery plans for these largescale infrastructure projects which are essential to decarbonise our energy mix.”