Wind News Offshore
Port of Aberdeen Advocates Multi-Harbour Solution for Floating Wind Deployment
The head of Port of Aberdeen, Bob Sanguinetti, has expressed support for a "multi-harbour solution" to facilitate the deployment of floating offshore wind projects in the UK. Sanguinetti emphasized that no single port or industrial site possesses the capacity to deliver larger floating wind projects alone. To overcome this limitation, he suggests that collaboration among developers and facilities is essential.
A multi-port solution would involve multiple harbours contributing various services throughout the lifespan of a floating offshore wind farm. Given that Scotland's floating wind pipeline stands at around 25 gigawatts (GW), with numerous fixed-bottom projects as well, limited port capacity is considered a significant challenge in reaching the UK government's deployment target of 5GW by 2030.
Sanguinetti stressed that larger projects will require collaboration due to the substantial number of wind turbines involved. While acknowledging that achieving collaboration can be challenging due to commercial sensitivities and differing interests, he highlighted the importance of initiatives like the Scottish Government's strategic investment model, which aims to bring ports and developers together to pool resources for industry needs.
The Aberdeen South Harbour expansion project, designed to support energy transition and offshore wind, is nearing completion. However, further expansion might prove difficult due to economic constraints. Sanguinetti called for solid government targets for domestic offshore wind work to provide increased confidence and encourage investment in the sector. He also suggested that a more defined conversation on local content and supply chain involvement is necessary for effective project planning.