Shell and ScottishPower win bids to develop UK wind power

Shell and ScottishPower have secured joint offers for seabed rights to develop large floating wind farms at two sites as part of the ScotWind leasing process, representing a total of 5 gigawatts off the eastern and north-eastern coasts of Scotland.

Shell and bp were among the winners from some of the biggest names in the fossil fuel industry as Crown Estate Scotland announced the results of the ScotWind leasing process, which covers more than 7,000 sq km of seabed. The development, construction and operation of ScotWind projects is set to bring new skilled jobs and manufacturing opportunities and boost local supply chains.

The new wind farms by Shell and ScottishPower will be delivered through two joint ventures called MarramWind and CampionWind, Shell said in a statement. They bring together ScottishPower’s and Shell’s decades of experience working offshore and significant presence in Scotland, as well as their strong innovation capabilities for delivering world-class offshore energy projects.

“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,” said Wael Sawan, Integrated Gas and Renewables and Energy Solutions Director at Shell. “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,” he added.

According to Keith Anderson, CEO of ScottishPower, offshore wind is set to become the backbone of the UK’s energy mix and will do the heavy lifting as companies ramp up the production of clean electricity. “Our ScotWind projects will make the best use of our fantastic natural resources to help power the UK’s transition from fossil fuels to renewables and a better future, quicker,” he said.

Once built, MarramWind’s and CampionWind’s floating wind projects could accommodate a total generation capacity of around 3 GW and 2 GW, respectively, bringing clean energy to power the equivalent of 6 million homes in Scotland – more than double the number of homes in Scotland today.