Bowdun Offshore Wind Farm, planned for 44 km off Stonehaven in North East Scotland, has submitted the application for planning permission in principle for the onshore infrastructure of the Project to Aberdeenshire Council.
The submission covers the elements from the landfall point near Benholm, underground cable corridor, onshore substation and proposed connection to the planned Hurlie substation at Fetteresso Forest, where the wind farm-supplied power enters the National Grid.
This project milestone follows the completion of a comprehensive optioneering exercise, Environmental Impact Assessment and extensive public consultations and engagement with local communities and stakeholders in North East Scotland.
It also comes after a decision earlier this month to establish an operations and maintenance (O&M) base in North East Scotland, delivering USD$479.6 million (£360m) of spend and around 60 long-term, high-quality jobs.
Bowdun Offshore Wind Farm, being delivered by Thistle Wind Partners, will deliver power to more than one million homes once operational. The project’s offshore consent submission will follow in 2026.
Bowdun’s award-winning Supply Chain Pathways Programme aims to break down barriers for Scottish firms, including oil and gas specialists, entering the offshore wind industry, which is often dominated by major “Tier 1” contractors with established supply chains.
The project will use its partner DEME Offshore—a Tier 1 contractor with experience installing 2,500 offshore wind turbines globally—to pre-qualify local firms as suppliers. These companies will then be able to compete for work not only on Bowdun, but also on other DEME Offshore projects in the UK and internationally. The program has involved 60 companies to-date.