DEME Concessions, has brought together a consortium with an aim of participating in the Crown Estate Scotland’s ScotWind seabed leasing process and accelerating the country’s energy transition. The consortium composed of DEME Concessions, Qair Marine and Aspiravi International has been named Thistle Wind Partners (TWP).

According to a statement by DEME, TWP will bring together its partners’ experience in similar offshore wind developments, characterised by fast-track delivery, stakeholder involvement, and supply chain engagement.

DEME Concessions brings together all investments and expertise of the DEME Group in the fields of offshore wind and other renewables, green hydrogen, port development, Public Private Partnership (PPP) Infrastructure, environment, and marine resources. Additionally, DEME will place its fleet of vessels at the disposal of the consortium.

Qair Marine, a unit of Qair dedicated to offshore wind, is at the forefront of floating offshore wind with the development of EolMed in the French Mediterranean and the operations and maintenance of Floatgen, the first floating offshore wind turbine in France.

Aspiravi International, part of the Aspiravi Group develops, implements, and operates renewable energy projects with a total installed capacity of over 1.5 GW.

A long-term commitment to the Scottish renewable energy market

Driven by the aim to deliver bespoke project concepts meeting the ambitions of Scotland’s energy transition, Thistle Wind Partners has undertaken an extensive assessment of the environmental (particularly ornithology, marine fish and mammals, and commercial fisheries) and technical aspects of the ScotWind sites (both offshore and onshore).

Additionally, to secure a fast tracked, de-risked development, the consortium has conducted focused site-specific technology optioneering, in-depth evaluation of the current and planned grid capacity infrastructure, and developed a comprehensive risk mitigation plan. These early development works will result in efficient project delivery and supplier engagement.

As a renewable independent power producer, with the purpose to sell electricity produced locally through its assets on a long-term basis, Qair has recently entered into a partnership with Eco Projects, a Scottish wind developer. Together, through Qair Scotland, they will jointly develop an existing portfolio of some 400 MW of onshore wind projects which should complement the energy produced by TWP offshore projects.

Energy transition with Green Hydrogen

Drawing upon the experience of DEME and Qair in the rapidly advancing Green Hydrogen landscape, TWP will actively explore the role of Green Hydrogen in their projects to contribute to Scotland’s ambitious net zero targets by 2045.

TWP pledges its project solutions will be tailored to the requirements of the Scottish stakeholders and include a maximum of local supply chain capabilities.