The project, a 100 MW floating offshore wind development (and 100 MW onshore EBI, a battery storage facility) located approximately 35 km off the coast of Peterhead, has committed to providing opportunities for domestic supply chain participation throughout construction and operation.
Through a dedicated supplier and innovation pathway, originally launched in 2021 and now being refreshed, organizations can have a direct route for project consideration. This second call opens on December 3, 2024, and can be accessed until the 14th of January 2025 through the Salamander website.
At this time, the Salamander team has outlined five areas of interest. These include:
- Construction and operational health and safety,
- Wind turbine foundation integration,
- Novel anchor technology,
- Low-carbon materials and processes,
- Construction vessel optimization.
It is hoped the outcome will be the selection of multiple suppliers who will undergo technical evaluation of unique or novel solutions. This will create a platform for suppliers to demonstrate the benefit of their innovation in direct comparison with current solutions being taken through the project’s engineering process.
Salamander, a stepping-stone to ScotWind floating developments, has been designed to allow the Scottish supply chain to gear up and de-risk in preparation for larger commercial-scale opportunities. By enabling domestic organizations to test innovative or novel floating-related technologies on a smaller scale, the wind industry will benefit from seeing what works and what needs to be streamlined.
Tom Brown, Innovation Manager, said: “We want to engage with the right people at the right time in our project development. From a technical perspective, we have already undertaken our concept and pre-FEED engineering stages, so we’re in a better position now to identify solutions that will address project challenges.
“Not only is it an exciting time to be involved in the floating wind sector, but it is also an exciting time to be part of the supply chain. It’s been a long time coming for these opportunities to be presented to smaller, local organizations, and we’re pleased to be part of that while making the project the best it can be.”
Hugh Yendole, Project Director, added: “We often discuss the role of our stepping-stone project as being a way to prime the supply chain for the floating roll-out in Scotland and beyond. This entails onboarding the supply chain in a timely manner, giving local organizations the opportunity to be part of this journey and capitalize on the potential economic benefits through their innovations.
A 100 MW innovation seabed lease was awarded to the Salamander project by Crown Estate Scotland under their INTOG leasing round. Construction is planned to commence in 2027, with operations beginning in 2029.
The call will be launched at a webinar hosted by the Net Zero Technology Centre (NZTC) at 10 am on Tuesday, December 3. Please register to attend on the website.
