Arup, a global engineering consulting firm, has been awarded the contract for the Strategic Investment Model (SIM) programme manager by Crown Estate Scotland (CES) on behalf of the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council (SOWEC). The programme manager is an essential role in the delivery of SOWEC's SIM, which aims to identify investment priorities needed to deliver the ScotWind pipeline and maximise Scottish supply chain benefits.
Arup will be supported by legal advisors Addleshaw Goddard. The programme manager will collaborate with ScotWind developers until October 2023 to identify proposals with the potential for collaborative investment in the first stage of the SIM process. In the second stage, interested developers, government officials, and other partners will work together on individual projects to get them to the final investment decision stage, enabling them to be ready to support ScotWind projects later this decade.
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Scotland's offshore wind industry is committed to working together to boost the country's supply chain. This collaborative commitment is what makes Scotland's Strategic Investment Model potentially transformative in its ambition. Brian McFarlane of SSE Renewables, SOWEC's industry co-chair, said, “I'm delighted that we have Arup on board as programme manager to turn this into reality.”
Colin Maciver, Head of offshore wind development for Crown Estate Scotland, emphasised the importance of the SIM in developing a coordinated approach to address challenges in delivering early investment, and maximising the benefits of offshore wind. With the programme manager in place, SOWEC, the Scottish Government, and developers will work together to identify priority collaborative proposals by October 2023. In the second stage of work, developers and government officials will work alongside ports and other supply chain companies to establish how to bring these infrastructure investments forward in time for ScotWind.
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The success of the SIM will rely on everyone involved in Scotland's offshore wind industry working together. Scotland has the potential to lead the way in offshore wind energy, and the SIM is a significant step in realising that potential. As Arup takes on the role of programme manager, the industry looks forward to seeing how their expertise and collaborative efforts will contribute to Scotland's clean energy future.
