Irish energy company Mainstream Renewable Power has been appointed preferred bidder for an offshore wind farm off the Shetland Islands in Scotland that is expected to power more than 2 million homes.
The group has been selected alongside Madrid-headquartered Ocean Winds by Crown Estate Scotland for the project, which has the potential to deliver 1.8GW of energy.
Mainstream and Ocean Winds have now been offered the opportunity to enter into an option agreement for the site, which is located east of the Shetland Islands in about 100m water depth and is “well suited for floating offshore wind”.
The two companies, which hold a 50-50 ownership, said they are committed to developing floating offshore wind on an industrial scale in Scotland, generating local jobs and opportunities in Scotland and the Shetland Islands.
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The site output is expected to power the equivalent of more than 2 million homes and save 3 million tonnes of carbon emissions each year. However, the company said it was too early to give an idea as to the scale of the investment involved.
Mainstream chief executive Mary Quaney described it as “a very significant win” for the company.
“In Scotland we have already developed the 450MW Neart na Gaoithe Offshore Wind Farm and we now look forward to working with all stakeholders to further develop and strengthen Scotland’s offshore wind industry and help position it as a global leader in floating offshore wind power,” she added.
Mainstream and Norway-based Aker Offshore Wind recently completed a transaction to combine the two companies to create a stronger renewable energy company with more than 27GW net portfolio.
The company is bringing forward multi-gigawatt scale developments of offshore wind assets in markets including Vietnam, South Korea, Japan, Norway, Ireland, the UK and Sweden.
Mainstream, through its recent combination with Aker Offshore Wind, has already partnered with Ocean Winds in the joint venture KF Wind in South Korea and is in a consortium to bid in the upcoming leasing round for floating wind at Utsira Nord in Norway.
