Thistle Wind Partners has kicked off the consenting process for the combined 2GW Ayre and Bowdun offshore wind farms off the coast of Scotland.
Ayre is a planned 1GW floater off the coast of Orkney, while the 1GW Bowdun will be a fixed foundation wind farm off the coast of Aberdeen.
Both owned by Thistle Wind Partners, they will support the transition to renewable energy in Scotland, expected to generate enough electricity to power 2.4 million households.
On behalf of RPS, marine consultancy and survey company ABPmer will provide marine physical process assessments to support the consenting of the wind farms.
ABPmer’s physical process specialists will model the wave, hydrodynamic and sediment transport environment of the wind farm areas, to understand how these factors could impact the planned wind farms, as well as how the wind farm designs could influence coastal processes, sediment transport pathways, and morphological features on the seabed and at the coast.
“We are delighted to support Ayre and Bowdun,” said ABPmer project director Heidi Roberts.
“These projects are expected to make a key contribution to Scotland’s renewable energy generation, in support of the Scottish government’s target of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2045.
“ABPmer brings a wealth of experience to the project, having undertaken EIA related studies for over 30 UK offshore wind projects, including Scotland’s Salamander, MarramWind, Beatrice, Moray East and Moray West Wind Farms, as well as post-consent coastal processes and metocean support.”
Consenting for both wind farms is expected to be completed in 2025, with construction planned to begin in 2029.