Scottish Power have announced a new partnership with Shell to develop the world's first large-scale floating offshore windfarms in the north-east of Scotland

The proposed projects – part of Crown Estate Scotland's ScotWind Leasing – will help decarbonise the UK and support the green economic recovery

The partnership has submitted multiple proposals for new large-scale floating offshore windfarms as part of Crown Estate Scotland's ScotWind Leasing, which closed for submissions today, 16 July.

Floating offshore wind – a technology that is poised to scale up – is suitable for use in deeper water zones, where fixed foundations aren't feasible, making it ideal for Scottish waters. It will become an increasingly important part of the energy mix in the UK as more and more offshore wind power is brought on to the grid to meet Net Zero targets.

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ScottishPower CEO, Keith Anderson, said: "Scotland is the windiest country in Europe and has the biggest and most experienced offshore sector. Bringing ScottishPower and Shell's collective knowledge, experience and expertise together means we're perfectly placed to lead the way in developing large-scale offshore floating windfarms and creating a new green industry with massive potential for exporting our skills and experience globally and helping the UK decarbonise its energy generation.

"With just a few months until the COP26 UN Climate Change Summit in Glasgow, ScotWind will help create a whole new industry in floating wind that will play a crucial role in putting the country on course for a cleaner and greener future."

Shell UK Country Chair, David Bunch said: "If our bid is successful, Shell and SPR are fully committed to working with Scottish communities and businesses to help develop supply chains and expertise which could make Scotland a world leader in floating wind. At Shell we continue to grow our capacity to generate, trade and supply cleaner power to our customers and to play our part in powering the UK to net zero."

ScotWind Leasing is the first round of seabed leasing for offshore wind in Scottish waters in over a decade and will grant property rights for new large-scale offshore wind project development, including floating wind for the first time.

Crown Estate Scotland is expected to announce the results of this round of ScotWind Leasing in early 2022.