Caledonia Offshore Wind Farm Still Progressing

26th January 2025

In December Caledonia Offshore Wind issued an update on progress towards one for the biggest offshore windfarms in the Moray Firth.

Caledonia Offshore Wind Farm is looking forward to 2025 having built a solid platform for success over a whirlwind 12 months, with strong project fundamentals to deliver on Scotland's offshore wind ambitions and the UK's clean power 2030 plan.

In the summer, we selected engineering consultancy Wood Thilsted to develop structural foundation designs for our turbines. Building on the experience gained at Ocean Winds' operational Moray East and recently completed Moray West projects, the milestone contract will create ideal solutions for our site conditions and the wider marine environment.

In the early autumn, Ocean Winds' Supply Chain Impact Report outlined plans to invest up to £3.5 billion in the UK across the lifetime of Caledonia, with more than £46 million already committed through supply chain enabling investment - building on the critical competencies and infrastructure required to maximise the positive impacts of the offshore wind sector.

And throughout 2024, we engaged with partners to promote the skills development necessary to achieve the country's net zero ambitions. This included, among a wide range of activities, funding a landmark pre-apprenticeship programme developed by Energy Skills Partnership and North East Scotland College, as well as - again in cooperation with ESP - financing augmented reality systems that are being used in welding training across Scottish colleges.

Ocean Winds is committed to building on its track record of investment in the Scottish and UK supply chain with a target of 60% local content across all stages of Caledonia. We are also supporting a just transition through proactive recruitment policies, and boast a proven pedigree of delivery in Scotland with our existing Moray East and Moray West projects.

The benefits ripple well beyond the Caledonia project itself, because progress before the end of the decade will translate into a series of wider wins for Scotland and the UK: acceleration towards green energy targets, support for a globally significant offshore supply chain and the increased innovation required to revolutionise the UK energy market.

There will, of course, be challenges ahead - not just for Caledonia, but the wider offshore wind sector. Longer lead times for the supply chain, rising costs of materials, grid capacity issues and a slow moving planning process could all impact on the ability of projects like Caledonia to deliver.

The proposed Caledonia Offshore Wind Farm in the Moray Firth is planned to feature 140 wind turbines. Each turbine will have a maximum capacity of 25 MW, and the entire wind farm is expected to have a total generation capacity of 2,000 MW.

Read much more HERE