Facilitating Change (UK) Ltd is delighted at Crown Estate Scotland’s decision to award the leasing rights to develop the 2 GW West of Orkney Windfarm to a consortium comprising Macquarie’s Green Investment Group, TotalEnergies and RIDG. The successful consortium, known as Offshore Wind Power Limited, bid for the leasing rights through Crown Estate Scotland’s ScotWind offshore leasing process.
Facilitating Change has been advising Offshore Wind Power Limited on their stakeholder engagement strategy during the ScotWind bidding process. Engagement with key regulatory and strategic stakeholders has already commenced and early discussions with community stakeholders will start soon.
The West of Orkney Windfarm will be located 30km off the west coast of Orkney. The project, which aims to start producing renewable power by 2030, represents potentially more than £4 billion of investment and will make a significant contribution to meeting the country’s net zero climate targets.
As part of this development, the partners will unlock a £140m initiative to support the development of the local supply chain, including the enhancement of ports and harbour infrastructure in Orkney and Caithness. This will ensure high levels of local content and actively promote employment and innovation in the region.
Once built, the windfarm could also deliver renewable power to the Flotta Hydrogen Hub, a proposed large-scale green hydrogen production facility in Orkney.
Mike Hay, RIDG Director, said: “It’s fantastic that Crown Estate Scotland share our vision for the West of Orkney Windfarm, a project that has been designed specifically around this location to benefit local communities, transition Scottish workers from oil and gas into renewables, and to act as a catalyst for supply chain growth. Since submitting our bid we have continued to advance development and supply chain activities to ensure that we deliver on the objectives set out within it, and to maximise the economic opportunity from the expansion of offshore wind and green hydrogen in Scotland.”
Tori McCusker, Facilitating Change’s Managing Partner adds: “the conception of this project already represents a magnificent feat of visionary innovation and partnership working by the consortium. As a very small cog in the development of this project, we are delighted at the partners’ commitment to engage with all stakeholders in a meaningful and purposeful manner and to support small businesses within the supply chain.”
we are delighted at the partners’ commitment to engage with all stakeholders in a meaningful and purposeful manner
Tori McCusker, Managing Partner, Facilitating Change (UK) Ltd
