BW Ideol awarded £778,000 in funding to advance floating wind foundation factory design

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 7, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) approved over £778,000 in Scottish Government funding to support BW Ideol's Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) for a floating offshore wind foundation production facility at the Port of Ardersier in Scotland. The 18-month FEED study, led by BW Ideol of France, will cover the proposed factory designed for the serial production of Damping Pool® concrete floating foundations.

The factory concept adopts continuous construction methods such as gantry slipforming and automated prefabrication, with a single production line designed to complete one floating foundation every 12 days, corresponding to an annual production capacity of approximately 500 MW. The FEED will further define the site layout, production processes, and subsequent construction plans.

BW Ideol has been collaborating with the Port of Ardersier since 2021 and has secured exclusive use of the port's concrete floating foundation production site. Once operational, the proposed factory is expected to create approximately 1,200 direct jobs.

BW Ideol's Damping Pool® has been selected as the preferred floating foundation solution for the 1 GW Buchan Offshore Wind project. The project is jointly developed by BW Ideol, BayWa r.e., and Elicio, with BW Ideol holding a 33% stake. Buchan Offshore Wind recently secured onshore planning consent.

The Scottish Government is supporting ports, manufacturing, and associated infrastructure through its offshore wind supply chain investment program. HIE's funding is allocated to the FEED phase of the project, and upon completion, it will serve as the engineering basis for subsequent development and investment decisions regarding the Port of Ardersier floating foundation factory.