Power Technology

Daily Newsletter

07 August 2023

Daily Newsletter

Doris to design BlueFloat’s offshore wind projects in Scotland

Doris will leverage its experience in construction, design and management from pre-construction to final investment decision.

Doris, a French consultant for the energy industry, has been chosen as the designer for the Bellrock and Broadshore Scottish offshore floating wind farms, which are being developed by BlueFloat Energy and Renantis.

Bellrock is located in the North Sea 50km north of Fraserburgh and will deliver 1.2GW capacity. Broadshore is 130km east of Aberdeen and will deliver 900MW, making a total of 2.1GW for the two projects.

The partnership of BlueFloat Energy and Renantis secured the licences for the wind farms in the 2022 ScotWind leasing round.

As principal designer for the two projects, Doris will leverage its experience in the construction, design and management (CDM) 2015 regulations to plan, manage, monitor and coordinate the design risk management activities.

It will also support the selection of contractors and offer CDM, health, safety, environment and quality management system compliance across the pre-construction phases through to the final investment decision.

Doris chief commercial officer Christophe Sarri stated: “The offshore wind industry in Scotland and the wider floating offshore wind market are two vital components to achieve a net-zero future and we look forward to working with BlueFloat Energy and Renantis to make these projects possible.”

Broadshore and Bellrock project director David Robertson stated: “We are really pleased to bring Doris onboard as principal designer for our flagship floating offshore wind projects in Scotland.

“Doris’ expertise and strength of service offering will help the BlueFloat Energy/Renantis Partnership pioneer new technology and safely accelerate the transition to a cleaner energy future.”

ESG 2.0 marks a shift towards stricter environmental rules

ESG is moving into a different era, which we call ESG 2.0. While ESG 1.0 was driven by voluntary corporate action, spurred by pressure from activist consumers and investors, ESG 2.0 is being driven by a new wave of government policies. The EU has taken the regulatory lead, with rules introduced or in the pipeline that will price emissions, regulate the use of the terms ‘ESG’ and ‘sustainability’ in marketing materials, and make ESG reporting mandatory. The US has taken a different approach, favoring less regulation and more financial support in the form of tax breaks for clean industry (renewables plus nuclear and hydrogen). China is planning to expand its emissions trading system to more sectors, decarbonize its heavy industry, and ramp up its use of renewables. The new policy direction is mainly motivated by the ambition to hit net zero emissions targets. But on top of this, governments are now competing for clean industry and trying to challenge China’s leadership on the production of the world’s green technologies such as solar panels and batteries, as well as the production and refinement of materials needed for energy transition such as lithium. These driving forces are leading to policy that will impact every sector, not just heavy industry, and will keep ESG near the top of the regulatory agenda over the longer term.