Pre-application consultation

The Cenos Offshore Windfarm is a renewable energy project designed to harness wind power from the North Sea. The project involves installing floating wind turbines approximately 200 km off the coast of Aberdeen, utilising cutting-edge technology to generate clean, sustainable electricity without significant visual or environmental impact.

With a nominal capacity of up to 1350 MW, Cenos is a pioneering wind development project aiming to decarbonise offshore oil and gas platforms and provide electricity to the UK grid.

Set to be delivered as part of Crown Estate Scotland’s Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) leasing round, once complete Cenos will be one of the world’s largest floating offshore windfarms, providing up to 5.5 TWh+ of renewable power to the UK grid each year.

Floating offshore wind is a cutting-edge solution for renewable energy, enabling turbines to be placed in deeper waters where winds are stronger and more reliable. Positioned further offshore, these turbines tap into consistent wind resources, generating significantly more power. While there are still environmental considerations, placing turbines at a greater distance from shore can help reduce certain impacts, such as those on coastal ecosystems and species, while providing a more sustainable energy solution. This approach is crucial for island nations and coastal regions working towards their net zero targets, unlocking the potential of deep-water wind without compromising environmental responsibilities.

Floating wind turbines are ideal for deep waters where traditional fixed-bottom turbines are not feasible. The offshore depths of the Central North Sea, particularly at Cenos Offshore Windfarm, are approximately 90-100 meters, making them suitable for floating turbines. These turbines are anchored to the seabed with mooring lines, similar to the designs used by the floating oil and gas infrastructure found in the waters surrounding Cenos.

No, the Cenos Offshore Windfarm is located approximately 200 km offshore, so it will not be visible from the coast. The project’s distance from shore, coupled with the curvature of the earth, ensures that the windfarm won’t affect coastal views.

The Cenos Offshore Windfarm will provide electrical power to selected Oil and Gas installations, with the remaining power exported to the UK grid, providing approximately 5.5TWh per year of renewable power for UK homes and businesses. These floating wind projects are at the forefront of the energy transition, playing a crucial role in decarbonising oil and gas platforms across the North Sea.

Designated as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, we have signed exclusivity agreements to develop 1.9 GW of floating wind capacity in the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) with our trusted joint venture partner, Vårgrønn. Overall, the Cenos project is estimated to cut emissions up to two million tonnes of carbon each year while supporting the commercialisation of floating offshore wind technology.

The project is expected to be operational from 2031. This timeline includes the necessary environmental assessments, planning, construction, and testing phases.

The environmental impact of the Cenos Offshore Windfarm is being carefully assessed through an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). This is a multi-stage process, which most recently has included the publication our revised Offshore EIA Scoping Report in 2024. Copies of these reports are available to review at the public event or via our document library. As the turbines are located far offshore and use floating technology, the impact on marine life and seabirds is expected to be minimal, but it is important to understand all potential impacts from, and to, the project. The project is committed to protecting the local ecosystem and following all regulatory guidelines.

Yes, the Cenos Offshore Windfarm project is expected to create both direct and indirect job opportunities. We anticipate that the project will deliver thousands of jobs during construction, and hundreds of additional positions during the 35-year operation of the windfarms.

The job opportunities span various sectors, including construction, operation, maintenance, and the local supply chain. Furthermore, the project will stimulate regional economic growth through contracts with local suppliers and businesses, fostering a positive impact on the community.

In floating offshore windfarms, wind turbines are attached to large platforms that float on the water’s surface. These platforms are known as floating substructures, and are anchored to the seabed with mooring lines. The turbines can operate in much deeper waters than traditional wind turbines, allowing access to stronger, more consistent wind speeds further offshore.

Floating substructures are a developing technology, but our 2024 Scoping Report is based upon the project using three-blade horizontal axis wind turbines, each mounted on its own floating substructure. Our plans are for steel to be the primary material to be used to construct the floating substructure.

INTOG stands for Innovation and Targeted Oil & Gas. It is a leasing round run by Crown Estate Scotland, focused on projects that reduce emissions from oil and gas production, as well as small-scale, innovative offshore wind projects aiming to test and deploy new technologies. The Cenos Offshore Windfarm aligns with this framework by contributing to Scotland’s decarbonization goals through the electrification of oil and gas operations.

The windfarm generates renewable power, which is collected at an offshore substation. From there, the electricity is distributed to oil and gas assets, reducing their reliance on traditional carbon-based energy. Any excess electricity produced will be passed back to the national grid, supporting wider energy demand and further contributing to the transition towards clean energy..

Yes, the Cenos project team is committed to engaging with the local community. We held a public event on 1 October 2024 at Peterhead Football Club, and will ensure the project provides further opportunities for local businesses to engage with us regarding potential participation in the supply chain and for the community to stay informed and involved. If you’re unable to participate in our consultation in October 2024, there will be a further opportunity to comment on our consent application during the public consultation phase. If you have any questions or anything the project should be aware of, you can continue to contact us throughout the process via [email protected].

The energy generated by the floating wind turbines will be transmitted via subsea cables to the mainland, where it will connect to NorthConnect’s onshore infrastructure, which links to the UK grid. Additionally, some of the electricity will be supplied directly to oil and gas platforms as part of our commitment to decarbonise the sector. The subsea cables have been carefully routed to minimise environmental and navigational impacts, avoid existing and planned offshore infrastructure, and optimize the transmission of electricity to both the grid and offshore platforms.

We understand that the fishing industry is an important part of the local and regional economy, and we have taken steps to ensure that input from both representatives and directly impacted fishers have been considered when developing our proposed cable routing. Our team has engaged with local members of the fishing industry to try to minimise any potential disruption to fishing activities wherever possible. We are committed to ongoing dialogue with the fishing community to address any concerns as the project progresses.

The offshore export cables are proposed to make landfall close to Long Haven – between the villages of Boddam and Longhaven. Cenos Offshore Windfarm Limited is currently preparing consenting applications for the offshore aspects of the Project.

The onshore aspects for ongoing grid connection have already been granted planning permissions through the NorthConnect HVDC Cable Planning Consent (Planning Application Reference Number APP/2015/1121 and APP/2018/1831). The onshore aspects are therefore not assessed as part of current consent applications, which relate solely to the offshore project (seaward of Mean High Water Springs).

The project team is working with local inshore and offshore fishermen and their representatives, vessel operators supporting the shipping and offshore energy sectors, and relevant authorities to ensure minimal disruption to these activities. Exclusion zones will be established around the project’s vessels, turbines, and offshore substations to ensure safety, but these will be carefully planned to minimise the impact on other maritime operators.

We have received feedback from the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) and recognise the need for further collaboration to address their concerns. We remain committed to engaging with all stakeholders to find mutually beneficial solutions as the project progresses.

The Cenos Offshore Windfarm will contribute significantly to the reduction of carbon emissions by generating clean, renewable energy and reducing carbon emissions from the offshore oil and gas sector through the electrification of production assets. Overall, Cenos is estimated to cut emissions by over two million tonnes of carbon each year while supporting the commercialisation of floating offshore wind technology. Cenos supports the energy transition in Scotland by decarbonising our energy industry and reducing long-term reliance on fossil fuels, thereby supporting Scotland and UK-wide net-zero targets to combat climate change.

Cenos Offshore Windfarm Limited is fully committed to delivering a community benefits scheme in line with UK Government guidance, which is due to be published later this year.

Ahead of the guidance being published we have been working with local people, businesses and organisations to identify key themes an projects that will deliver strategic benefits and directly support the local community and local priorities.

We welcome further input from the local community to help shape the community benefits scheme and encourage you to reach out to the project team via [email protected]

Due to the increasing demand for seabed space generated from increasing activity offshore to meet UK Net Zero targets, optimisation of the seabed space is becoming more important. Offshore wind, interconnection, CCUS and electrification of oil and gas projects are all being developed in the Peterhead area.

The aims of the Peterhead Developer Forum (PDF) are to:

• Share understanding between developers and asset owners with projects making landfall, or potentially making landfall in the Peterhead area.
• Consider the possibility of collaborating in relevant areas

Specific objectives which any activity should contribute to are:

• Reducing disruption caused to the local community and other affected stakeholders
• Expediting delivery of clean energy projects
• Reducing overall cost of delivery and operation of clean energy projects