Issued: Monday 22 August
2022
ESB today welcomes the final outcome of the ScotWind process which has resulted in the offer of a lease option to ESB for a 500MW floating offshore wind project in Scottish water off the east coast of Shetland. The offer by Crown Estate Scotland is testament to ESB’s growing capabilities in offshore wind.
Today’s announcement is the culmination of a process by Crown Estate Scotland to offer development rights for in excess of 26GW of new offshore wind projects in Scottish waters. The process to secure seabed for Scotland’s next generation of offshore wind farms attracted over 70 applications from many of the world’s leading offshore wind development companies.
Jim Dollard, Executive Director, ESB Generation and Trading, sees significant benefits in developing new offshore wind projects in Scotland;
“The opportunities afforded by this lease option offer by Crown Estate Scotland allow ESB to further build on its considerable Scottish presence in wind energy development, both offshore and onshore. Through our Net Zero 2040 strategy, ESB aims to decarbonise electricity generation by 2040 and this project has the potential to make an important contribution to meeting this target. Furthermore, there will be significant synergies between the development of floating wind in Scotland and our plans for similar projects off the south and west coasts of Ireland”
The ESB team will work over the coming months to complete key environmental and geophysical surveys of the site as well as engaging with the local supply chain to make sure that the project delivers maximum benefit both to Shetland and the wider Scottish economy while maintaining a cost competitive development strategy.
For further information on the proposed project by ESB, please contact Paul McElvanna, paul.mcelvanna@esb.ie . Further information on the ScotWind process can be found on the Crown Estate Scotland website.