Cerulean has chosen the Haventus-owned Ardersier Energy Transition Facility, in Scotland, as its chosen deployment port for its 1GW floating offshore wind project.
Ardersier Energy Transition Facility, now under construction (pictured) near Inverness, has secured £400m of funding, including a £100m credit facility from the UK National Wealth Fund & Scottish National Investment Bank.
It is the intent that Ardersier will become the UK’s first floating wind manufacturing hub, where developers will produce and service floating foundations, anchoring this critical supply chain in Britain.
By 2050, floating offshore wind could contribute more than £47bn to the UK economy and employ 100,000 people.
Ardersier will support achieving these targets by deploying and servicing offshore wind installations, providing green jobs and establishing a UK supply chain to rival international competitors.
The Cerulean alliance’s first project will be the Aspen development, a 1GW floating wind farm in the Central North Sea approximately 100 km from shore, that is targeting first power between 2028-29.
The project is designed to enable Scotland’s supply chain and direct more than £1bn of investment in FLOW manufacturing and service support in the country, with the Ardersier Energy Transition Facility acting as a strategic hub.
This early investment will help establish the industrial foundation needed to maximise domestic economic benefits from ScotWind’s planned buildout from 2030.
Dan Jackson, founding director of Cerulean Winds, said: “This is an important moment for the future of the UK’s floating offshore wind industry.
“The UK and Scottish Governments have been very supportive, however more is needed.
“We must act now to capture the domestic economic benefits.
“If too slow, the building and maintenance of this new technology will become entrenched in established international supply chains before the bow wave of the ScotWind projects even begin, with supply chains rapidly consolidating around early-mover regions in the North Sea and Asia.”
Lewis Gillies, CEO of Haventus, said: “Ardersier Energy Transition Facility will be operational by late 2025 and will be capable of supporting the deployment of multiple gigawatt-scale offshore wind projects.
“We are delighted that Cerulean Winds has selected Ardersier as its chosen facility, strengthening our intent to increase green jobs in Scotland, achieve economic growth and support oil and gas operators in the North Sea to rapidly decarbonise their operations.”