New initiative to drive innovation in offshore wind

Leading UK technology centres have launched a new programme to maximise the potential of floating offshore wind projects.

Scotland’s Net Zero Technology Centre (NZTC) and Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult have created the programme to advance innovation within the offshore wind market.

The INTOG (Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas) Innovation Network was  launched as part of the INTOG leasing process, currently managed by Crown Estate Scotland.

Introduced in 2020, the leasing round is designed to attract investment in innovative offshore wind projects and help decarbonise the North Sea. It focuses on developing commercial pilot-scale innovation projects under 100MW – enough electricity to power approximately 30,000 homes for a day.

Graeme Rogerson, head of the NZTC, said: “Maximising the impact and value to industry of these innovation projects is crucial in realising the future ambitions for UK floating wind and the value to our supply chain and port infrastructure. We’re delighted to play such a pivotal role in driving this collaboration and shaping the future of offshore wind.”

In 2023, five projects were offered exclusivity agreements for the innovation side of the leasing round.

The five participant projects 

The INTOG network will focus on facilitating research and collaboration for these projects. 

Four of the projects are for farms located off the coast of Aberdeenshire, while the other is located halfway between the Island of Islay and the coast of Northern Ireland.

The new initiative will help participants build a common approach for topics where benefits are shared as well as  de-risk technologies ready for development.

It will work under the existing Energy Transition Alliance between ORE Catapult and NZTC.

Launched in 2020, the alliance works to decarbonise the offshore energy sector and accelerate the UK’s transition to net zero – which  Scotland aims to reach by 2045, five years ahead of the rest of the UK. 

Andy Macdonald, director of development and operations at ORE Catapult said: “This new network creates a unique forum to help support the industry-leading innovations that these projects are designed to deliver. Coming ahead of the build-out of the large-scale ScotWind sites, these projects offer a fantastic opportunity for the industry to learn more about how to overcome the challenges, and maximise the potential, of new floating wind technology.”