Proposal to produce floating foundations at Ardersier gets financial support from HIE

Approval has been granted by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) after collaboration with Scottish Enterprise’s international arm, Scottish Development International (SDI), to secure the project.

The funding will support an 18-month front-end engineering design study led by the France-based BW Ideol, which plans to develop an industrial facility at Port of Ardersier dedicated to the series production of its Damping Pool concrete floating foundations. The study will inform the next phases of development.

Optimised for series construction methods such as gantry slipforming and automated prefabrication, the facility is designed to deliver one foundation every 12 days from a single line, equivalent to approximately 500 MW of annual capacity.

Once operational, it could create around 1,200 direct jobs in the Highlands and catalyse a broader regional supply chain. The Damping Pool has been identified as the preferred floating foundation for the 1-GW Buchan Offshore Wind project in which BW Ideol holds a 33% stake alongside BayWare and Elicio.

In 2021, BW Ideol strengthened its long-term commitment to the Port of Ardersier through a partnership agreement it signed with the port, securing exclusive access to the site for concrete foundations.

Scottish Energy Minister Stephen Gethins said, “Once complete, this production facility has the potential to generate more than 1,000 jobs, as well as supply chain opportunities for businesses in the Highlands and across the country.

“That is why the Scottish Government is backing its development with more than £778,000, as part of our wider strategic investment to develop Scotland’s ports and offshore wind chain, so that communities across the country can benefit from Scotland’s energy wealth through job creation and increased energy security.”

HIE chief executive Stuart Black said, “Renewable energy is one of the biggest economic opportunities for the Highlands and Islands. It is important that we capitalise on this opportunity and that’s what these enabling investments are about.

“This particular investment supports a critical step towards establishing large-scale floating wind manufacturing in the Highlands. Projects like this have the potential to create high-value jobs and build a strong regional supply chain. This in turn ensures the Highlands and Islands can capture long-term economic benefit from Scotland’s offshore wind opportunity.”

Scottish Enterprise managing director investment Reuben Aitken noted that more than half of Scotland’s 40-GW potential offshore wind project pipeline is in floating wind.

BW Ideol chief executive Paul de la Guérivière said, “Public sector backing is an encouraging signal for our Ardersier foundation factory. It supports a key phase of our feasibility studies and reflects growing institutional confidence in industrial-scale floating wind in Scotland.

“The Highlands have all the assets to host a leading manufacturing hub for concrete floating foundations. With the Buchan project having just secured its onshore consent, our ambition is clear: to build these foundations locally, close to the projects they will serve, and to anchor a lasting industry in the region.” 

Buchan Offshore Wind project director Clare Lavelle said, “We welcome this funding, which marks an important step towards building Scotland’s floating offshore wind capability and capturing its full economic potential. Buchan Offshore Wind is at the forefront of the industrialisation of floating offshore wind in Scotland. Paving the way for the manufacture of Scotland’s first concrete floating foundations, using project partner BW Ideol’s proven Damping Pool technology, we are anchoring a new industrial capability and acting as a catalyst for the Scottish floating offshore wind supply chain. Our project alone is expected to support 2,900 jobs during construction and deliver more than £2bn in lifetime economic value to Scotland, demonstrating the scale of opportunity this support helps to realise.”

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