Port Infrastructure for Floating Offshore Wind

Port Infrastructure for Floating Offshore Wind 

Port infrastructure constraints are particularly acute for FLOW, as the size and nature of floating foundations mean these projects have more specialised, and localised, enabling infrastructure and supply chain requirements.

Because FLOW projects are in deeper waters, turbines and foundations must be integrated onshore, rather than offshore as is typical for bottom-fixed projects. Floating foundations are also much larger and heavier than bottom-fixed, requiring significantly wider berths, access channels and wet storage, as well as very large heavy-lift cranes and stronger quays.

There are also likely to be significant cost, schedule, and technical benefits from locating FLOW manufacturing facilities and related services close by.² Government has launched FLOWMIS (the Floating Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Scheme) to help ports develop the infrastructure required for FLOW. However, there is a clear need for significant further investment – FLOWMIS will only provide £160 million in grant support across the UK, while the investment need at ports for FLOW infrastructure has been estimated at £3.45 billion by 2030.³

The FLOW Taskforce estimates that, by 2030, five integration ports will be needed to service Scottish projects, with another two required in the Celtic Sea. A further four ports are thought to be required to service steel and or concrete component manufacturing and assembly.4 As the floating offshore wind industry develops, complementary clusters of ports are likely to be needed to service its enabling infrastructure and supply chain needs. These should be strategically located, given the importance of proximity to FLOW project sites. Coordination between private and public sector actors can help to ensure this.

Floating Offshore Wind