COWI, a leading international engineering consulting group, has been awarded a contract by Thistle Wind Partners (TWP), a joint venture involving DEME, Qair and Aspiravi, with a focus on Scottish offshore wind development. Under the contract, COWI will conduct a Pre-FEED study for TWP’s Ayre and Bowdun offshore wind farms, which would enter construction in 2029 and produce more than 2 GW of energy by 2032-2033. Utilizing its local and global engineering expertise, COWI will provide essential analysis for the foundation design of each project.

Both projects were allocated as part of the ScotWind leasing round in 2022, and when complete, will play a key role in supporting Scotland and the wider UK’s net zero targets. The Ayre project, located to the east of Orkney, is a 1 GW floating-foundation offshore wind farm, whilst Bowdun is a 1 GW fixed wind project and is situated off the coast of Aberdeenshire. Through its local supply chain targets for these projects, TWP is supporting Scotland and the wider UK in developing exportable goods and services for the global offshore wind sector.

COWI will deliver a comprehensive Pre-FEED (Front-End Engineering Design) study that integrates both electrical and civil design elements. The study will determine the feasibility of the development of robust electrical infrastructure, featuring inter-array cables that connect to offshore substations, enhancing power distribution efficiency for each project.

COWI will also bring its extensive experience in road and railway design to support decisions on onshore cable routing and associated crossings.

Damian McGirr, Senior Market Director, COWI in the UK, states: "The continued acceleration of offshore wind in Scotland is exciting and these projects mark another milestone on the country’s journey to net zero. As a business we are committed to supporting the path to net zero and we are delighted to be collaborating with Thistle Wind on these projects which will ensure that the economic opportunity of the global energy transition is captured here in Scotland. It’s a journey we are proud to be part of, as we leverage both our on the ground expertise and global knowledge from consulting on over 10 offshore wind projects in the UK and Ireland to date, with the global number being significantly higher.”

“Our projects have a busy year ahead with major consenting and engineering milestones ahead of them in 2024,” comments Ian Taylor, Project Director, Thistle Wind Partners (TWP). “We hit the first one in January with the publication of our Onshore Scoping Report for the Ayre project and ensuring that we have robust electrical and civil designs by the end of the year will maintain the momentum. We welcome our partners at COWI on board our engineering journey as we mix fixed and floating wind technologies across these two ground-breaking projects.”