UK offshore wind sector receives investment for foundations and innovation

The Scottish Government has approved over £778,000 in funding to support the development of floating offshore wind foundations at the Port of Ardersier. The investment, facilitated by Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Development International, will fund an 18-month front-end engineering design (FEED) study led by BW Ideol.

BW Ideol plans to establish an industrial facility at the port for the serial production of its Damping Pool® concrete floating foundations. The facility is designed for high-volume output, capable of producing one foundation every 12 days, which could support approximately 500 MW of annual capacity. The project has the potential to create roughly 1,200 direct jobs in the Highlands and stimulate the regional supply chain.

In a separate initiative to bolster the UK offshore wind sector, seven companies have been awarded £1 million through the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership’s (OWGP) Innovation Funding programme. These companies, located across Scotland and England, will use the funds to accelerate technologies in industrial foundations, substructures, substations, and electrical systems to improve UK competitiveness in the global market.