A joint venture of BP and German energy group EnBW will develop an up to 2900MW fixed-bottom offshore wind farm off Scotland having secured an 859km square site in the ScotWind leasing round.
The Morven offshore wind farm, the second single largest project awarded by capacity in the Crown Estate Scotland auction, will be situated around 60km east of Aberdeen in the E1 lease area.
BP said that the project is expected to power up to three million homes and support up to £10bn of investment in offshore wind development, as well as skill and opportunities in hydrogen and electric vehicle charging.
BP ands EnBW will now make Aberdeen its global operations and maintenance centre as a result of the successful bid, which the former said would create up to 120 new direct jobs.
The offshore wind development will include investment in infrastructure, ports, harbours and shipyards as well as construction of four ships to support the joint venture’s projects across the UK, subject to technical and commercial due diligence.
BP chief executive Bernard Looney (pictured) said: “We have a fantastic partner in EnBW and now an even more competitive portfolio of nearly 6GW of combined offshore wind to develop together.
“Our plans go much further than just the turbines offshore. They see us investing in projects and in people – from EV charging to green hydrogen – aligned with Scotland’s energy transition plans.
“This is good business – making disciplined investments and demonstrating what an integrated energy company can do; we can’t wait to get to work.”
EnBW chief executive Frank Mastiaux added: “In this close partnership we succeeded in a highly competitive field of bidders.
“Since the construction of the first German offshore wind farm in 2010 by EnBW, we have become a major player in offshore technology, even beyond Germany’s borders.”
Another oil and gas giant, Shell, was also successful in the auction and will develop two floating offshore wind farms totalling 5GW in conjunction with ScottishPower.
Shell integrated gas and renewables and energy solutions director Wael Sawan said: “Shell and ScottishPower can now look forward to generating floating wind power at significant scale in the UK to accelerate the country’s transition towards net zero.
“Floating wind plays to our strengths in deeper offshore projects, and we are well placed to help advance the wider take-up of this important clean energy source.
“Renewable electricity will play an increasingly important role in our customer-focused strategy, as we provide more low-carbon products and services customers need for their own journey to net zero.”