International engineering firm COWI has been awarded a contract by Thistle Wind Partners (TWP) - a joint venture involving DEME, Qair and Aspiravi – to provide Pree-FEED study for Ayre and Bowdun offshore wind projects in Scotland.
Under the contract, COWI will conduct a Pre- Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) study for TWP’s Ayre and Bowdun offshore wind farms, providing essential analysis for the foundation design of each project.
The Pre-FEED study will integrate both electrical and civil design elements. The study will determine the feasibility of the development of robust electrical infrastructure, featuring inter-array cables that connect to offshore substations, enhancing power distribution efficiency for each project.
COWI will also leverage its experience in road and railway design to support decisions on onshore cable routing and associated crossings.
The wind farms are expected to enter construction phase in 2029 and produce more than 2GW of energy by 2032 – 2033.
Both projects were allocated as part of the ScotWind leasing round in 2022, and when complete, will play a key role in supporting Scotland and the wider UK’s net zero targets.
The Ayre project, located to the east of Orkney, is a 1GW floating-foundation offshore wind farm, whilst Bowdun is a 1GW fixed wind project and is situated off the coast of Aberdeenshire
"The continued acceleration of offshore wind in Scotland is exciting and these projects mark another milestone on the country’s journey to net zero.
“As a business we are committed to supporting the path to net zero and we are delighted to be collaborating with Thistle Wind on these projects which will ensure that the economic opportunity of the global energy transition is captured here in Scotland.
“It’s a journey we are proud to be part of, as we leverage both our on the ground expertise and global knowledge from consulting on over 10 offshore wind projects in the UK and Ireland to date, with the global number being significantly higher,” said Damian McGirr, Senior Market Director, COWI in the UK