Green Volt set to unlock £2.5 billion of private investment and create up to 2,800 jobs

The pioneering floating offshore windfarm Green Volt, based off the Northeast coast of Scotland, has awarded front-end engineering and design (FEED) Phase 1 contracts to two sets of leading engineering companies:

• Aker Solutions and ABB
• Aibel and Hitachi Energy

Green Volt, which will be located 80 miles off the Scottish coast, was successful in winning a UK Government Contract for Difference (CfD) in September this year and is the first major commercial floating wind development in Europe. The CfD puts it on track to become the world’s largest floating offshore windfarm with a government contract.

The FEED 1 scopes include engineering, procurement and construction of an offshore substation, encompassing both the jacket and topsides, as well as the design of the high voltage equipment, such as power to oil and gas assets and power to the onshore substation.

The electrification of oil and gas assets with offshore wind, whilst simultaneously providing power to the UK grid, is a new concept with many engineering and electrical complexities. The decision to award contracts to multiple partnerships was based on the specific skills of each supplier, as well as Green Volt’s ambition to collaborate with, and develop, the UK’s floating wind supply chain.

Many of the scopes will be managed out of the contractors’ UK offices, including Aberdeen and London. Successful concepts will then be carried forward into the next phase of the FEED.