Community invited to have a say on early-stage Muir Mhòr Offshore Wind Farm proposal

The team behind a major floating offshore wind project off the coast of Aberdeen is to display its early-stage proposal in two public consultation events in Peterhead and Longside on 15 and 16 November. 

Multi-million supply chain boost as major floating wind farm launches supplier portal

Team behind Muir Mhòr Offshore Wind Farm invite prospective suppliers to share in over £12m contract opportunities 

The joint venture partners behind the proposed Muir Mhòr floating offshore wind farm, located off the east coast of Scotland, are marking a major project milestone with the launch of its supplier portal, potentially unlocking over £12 million of domestic supply chain opportunities. 

Prospective suppliers, technical innovators, skills providers and development partners are being invited to engage with the project team via a new supplier registration page on the dedicated project website, www.muirmhor.co.uk.

The development marks a formalisation of the project’s commitment to open, transparent and inclusive engagement with the supply chain from an early stage – with a key ambition being to stimulate growth within the domestic supply chain and realise local opportunities as far as possible. 

The joint venture partners behind Muir Mhòr Offshore Wind Farm, Fred. Olsen Seawind and Vattenfall, combine decades of industry experience and expertise in technology and innovation – in addition to a vast portfolio of successful onshore and offshore projects which have utilised local contractors and supply chains.

Interested parties are being encouraged to register in advance of specific Meet the Buyer events which will take place in the coming months. 

Commenting on the major project milestone, David Hinshelwood, Project Director for Muir Mhòr Offshore Wind Farm, said:

“ScotWind represents a major investment in Scotland’s green energy future, and it is key that this once-in-a-generation opportunity also stimulates sustainable growth of a world-class Scottish supply chain. 

“Collaborative supply chain engagement has been a key project focus since launching in 2022. We are committed to exploring local opportunities and actively investigating what is feasible in Scotland, and have undertaken positive, early discussions with supply chain partners over the last 12 months. 

“The launch of our supply chain portal formalises this engagement and marks an important next step for the project. We look forward to meeting many potential suppliers at upcoming conferences and industry events, and encourage prospective suppliers, innovators and partners to contact us through the portal to realise opportunities.”

Procurement and Commercial Manager for Muir Mhòr Offshore Wind Farm, Stephen Kennedy, added: 

“From the outset of the Muir Mhòr Offshore Wind Farm project, we have actively investigated what supply chain opportunities are feasible in Scotland and explored local supplier options first. 

“This has seen us award over £3.87 million to Scottish suppliers in development contracts, with further contracting opportunities, and unlock key STEM skills opportunities locally through Xodus’ X-Academy, UHI Future Leaders Fund and other community initiatives.

“Whilst there are well-known capacity challenges in the domestic supply chain, market growth in the Scottish and UK offshore wind supply chain is hugely positive. Our transparent, collaborative approach to supply chain development will ensure that we provide feedback to potential suppliers on development plans, work with others to realise opportunities and deliver value through the supply chain where possible.”

Prospective suppliers and partners can contact the Muir Mhòr Offshore Wind Farm team by visiting: www.muirmhor.co.uk/our-supply-chain. 

Major milestone for Muir Mhòr project with completion of geophysical and environmental survey

The joint venture partners behind the Muir Mhòr Offshore Wind Farm project have hit a major project milestone with the completion of preliminary geophysical and environmental surveys.

Muir Mhòr Offshore Wind Farm Submits Offshore and Offshore EIA Scoping Reports

We are pleased to announce that Muir Mhòr Offshore Wind Farm, a joint venture between Fred. Olsen Seawind and Vattenfall, has reached an important project milestone with submission of the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Scoping Reports to the planning authorities for the offshore and onshore elements of the project, Marine Scotland and Aberdeenshire Council.

This is the first formal submission in the EIA process. The reports provide stakeholders with information on the project and an opportunity to engage with and feedback on the proposed development plans.

The reports set out all the project’s possible impacts, specifically identifying the crucial and significant impacts which will be dealt with through the EIA process. At this early stage, the project description remains indicative and will be refined following ongoing surveys, engineering studies and discussions with stakeholders.

Once fully commissioned, the floating Muir Mhòr Offshore Wind Farm could generate up to one Gigawatt (GW) of renewable electricity, enough to power the equivalent of more than 800,00 Scottish homes.

The project team and shareholders are committed to close collaboration with stakeholders, communities, industry and supply chain, particularly around minimising potential environmental impacts and maximising economic development opportunities for local communities.

The Muir Mhòr Scoping Reports and appendices can be accessed and downloaded on from our document library or from the Marine Scotland and Aberdeenshire Council websites.

The project team is keen to have close and active consultation with stakeholders. If you wish to submit comments through the formal scoping processes, please send your comments directly to Marine Scotland for offshore or Aberdeenshire Council for onshore.

In the meantime, if you wish to provide comments regarding the proposal to the project team directly, please address them to info@muirmhor.co.uk.

Muir Mhòr project appoints established survey services provider EGS International

Multi-million pound contract with EGS to support site characterisation and project’s ambition to meet 2030 floating wind targets  

The ScotWind-winning joint venture partners behind the Muir Mhòr Offshore Wind Farm project have appointed marine survey services provider EGS to provide geophysical and environmental site investigations in support of one of the world’s first commercially viable floating offshore wind farms. 

Having been awarded seabed rights in the E2 plan option area of the January 2022 ScotWind auction, Fred. Olsen Seawind and Vattenfall are bringing forward plans for a floating offshore wind farm off the east coast of Scotland.

EGS will survey a wind farm area equating to approximately 200km2 in addition to an offshore export cable corridor area of 100km2 once the point of landfall has been identified. Preliminary surveys will commence in April 2023 and run into the summer months, with key stakeholder engagement already underway to ensure the survey is carried out safely and efficiently. 

Combining decades of industry experience, the Muir Mhòr Offshore Wind Farm project is being developed on an accelerated programme in order to support the UK Government’s target of generating 5GW from floating offshore wind by 2030. The outcomes from EGS’s survey works will inform the project’s geotechnical approach, and will support an accelerated timetable for the consent applications. 

The multi-million pound contracting of the UK-headquartered EGS International comes after it was announced last year that the project has already awarded over £3 million in development contracts with Scottish and UK-based suppliers. 

David Hinshelwood, Project Director for Muir Mhòr Offshore Wind Farm, said:

“We are delighted to have appointed EGS to the Muir Mhòr consulting team. To get these essential surveys underway in a matter of weeks will be fantastic progress for the project. 

“With over four decades of experience in the survey market, EGS have an extensive track record in supporting offshore renewables developments. Their geophysical and environmental work will be hugely instrumental to site characterisation, future design and engineering works, as well as the Environmental Impact Assessment process. 

“I look forward to working with EGS to progress the Muir Mhòr floating offshore project, which will lead the energy transition and secure Scotland’s energy future whilst delivering tangible benefits for the local and national economy. “

Deborah Jenkins, Managing Director at EGS International, said:

“We are very pleased to have been selected by the Muir Mhòr Offshore Wind Farm team for this project and are excited to be working off the north east coast of Scotland this spring. We look forward to using our expertise to contribute to the early stages of the planning and development of this windfarm, focusing on safe operations and producing high-quality results for our client. We are looking forward to the opportunity of working with the Muir Mhòr team and supporting the windfarm project through its full lifecycle.”