Buchan Offshore Wind (ScotWind)
960 MW Commercial-scale co-developed by BW Ideol, BayWa r.e. and Elicio
Buchan Offshore Wind is a commercial-scale floating offshore wind farm under development around 75 km north-east of Fraserburgh, off the Aberdeenshire coast of Scotland. With a capacity of around 960 MW, it is co-developed by BW Ideol alongside BayWa r.e. and Elicio, and has identified BW Ideol’s patented Damping Pool® as its preferred floating foundation. The consortium is targeting commissioning by the mid-2030s.
CONTEXT AND TIMELINE OF THE TENDER
BW Ideol has participated in the "ScotWind" call for tenders launched by Crown Estate Scotland in 2020 alongside BayWa and Elicio as part of the consortium "Floating Energy Allyance", today known as "Buchan Offshore Wind". In support to the applications, two grid connections have been secured from National Grid ESO in July 2021.
On Monday 17 January 2022, Crown Estate Scotland announced the Floating Energy Allyance had secured the rights to develop a floating offshore wind farm of around 960 MW (announced at the time as approximately 1 GW) off the north-east coast of Scotland.
The ‘option agreement’ covers the area designated NE8 in the Scottish Government’s Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind, some 75 km north-east of Fraserburgh on the Aberdeenshire coast.
A PARTNERSHIP OF THREE LEADING EUROPEAN ENERGY BUSINESSES
BayWa r.e. is an international project developer that has brought online more than 6 GW of renewable energy worldwide. Active in the United Kingdom since 2011, BayWa r.e. has a development pipeline of over 3.3 GW of onshore wind, solar and battery storage projects across the UK and Ireland.
Elicio is an experienced Belgian offshore wind developer, owner and operator. It benefits from 20 years of experience in offshore wind, with a global portfolio of more than 2.3 GW, comprising 1.2 GW of floating projects under development in France and Scotland and over 1.1 GW of operational fixed-bottom offshore wind in the Belgian North Sea.
Building the foundations in Scotland
BW Ideol plans to manufacture the project’s concrete floating foundations in Scotland, at the Port of Ardersier, where the company has secured exclusive access for concrete foundation manufacturing through a partnership agreement signed in September 2021. The planned facility, A3F, is dedicated to the serial production of Damping Pool® foundations and is designed to deliver one floating foundation every 12 days from a single production line. In September 2026, Highlands and Islands Enterprise approved more than £778,000 in Scottish Government funding to support its front-end engineering design study.
Ardersier3F: Floating Foundation Factory at the Port of Ardersier
BW IDEOL’S SCOPE OF WORK
BW Ideol is a co-developer of Buchan Offshore Wind, holding a one-third equity stake alongside BayWa r.e. and Elicio. It also acts as the project’s floating foundation technology provider, under an engineering service agreement and a technology licence agreement signed in January 2022. The project has identified BW Ideol’s patented Damping Pool® as its preferred floating foundation and plans to install up to 70 concrete Damping Pool® substructures in waters up to 110 m deep, with a commitment to manufacturing them in Scotland.
PROJECT MILESTONES
- 2022: The consortium signs an Option Lease Agreement with Crown Estate Scotland, while BW Ideol secures engineering and technology licence agreements with the project.
- 2023: Buchan Offshore Wind submits its EIA Scoping Report and obtains a Scoping Opinion from the Marine Directorate.
- August 2025: The offshore consent application is submitted to Scottish Ministers; a determination is anticipated later in 2026.
- May 2026: Aberdeenshire Council grants Planning Permission in Principle for the onshore infrastructure, including the Rattray Head landfall and a 22 km buried cable route to a new substation at Peterhead.
- October 2026: Damping Pool® floating foundation for Buchan Offshore Wind receives DNV Basic Design Certification
- Mid-2030s: Targeted commissioning, with more than £900 million of investment in Scotland and around 2,900 jobs at peak construction (figures published by Buchan Offshore Wind).
PROJECT LAST NEWS
Damping Pool® floating foundation for Buchan Offshore Wind receives DNV Basic Design Certification
Planning consent for Buchan onshore infrastructure
Buchan Offshore Wind submit offshore consent applications
Buchan Offshore Wind Awards New Contracts Worth More Than £1.5m
Work starts on Ardersier Port transformation
BW Ideol and Ardersier Port Authority have signed a strategic partnership agreement
Buchan Offshore Wind Website
- Capacity: 960 MW
- Installation site: Scotland (NE8)
- Water depth: 75 - 110 metres
- Key role: Co-development of the project
This award underlines the pertinence of our co-development model and shows once again how BW Ideol’s unique value proposition contributes to a winning and differentiating bid.
