The milestone comes shortly after the project obtained onshore Planning Permission in Principle in March 2025, keeping it firmly on track for deployment before the end of the decade.

A joint venture between Simply Blue Group, Ørsted, and Subsea7, the Salamander project will be located approximately 35 kilometres off the coast of Peterhead and will have a generating capacity of up to 100 megawatts. As one of the UK’s most advanced floating wind projects, it is set to play a pivotal role in unlocking Scotland’s deepwater wind potential and paving the way for larger-scale developments under the ScotWind leasing round.

Project director Hugh Yendole hailed the offshore consent as “yet another major achievement” for the team, highlighting the proactive collaboration with the Marine Directorate Licensing and Operations Team (MD-LOT), which worked alongside stakeholders such as NatureScot to deliver the consent in just 15 months.

“While we aimed to achieve consent within a 12-month target, receiving it in 15 months reflects the expertise, passion and seamless teamwork of everyone involved,” Yendole said. “We also credit the Scottish Government and MD-LOT for resourcing up to enable shorter consenting periods for high-quality applications like Salamander’s.”

The project is the first innovation (IN) scheme from the INTOG (Innovation and Targeted Oil & Gas) leasing round to reach this advanced stage. It is seen as a crucial “stepping stone” project that will not only demonstrate cutting-edge floating wind technology at commercial scale, but also help derisk future developments by offering insights into technical, regulatory and commercial challenges unique to floating wind in Scottish waters.

The Scottish Government’s investment in consenting resources, which doubled in 2024, is being credited with helping speed up the process for such strategically important projects. With offshore and onshore consents now secured, Salamander’s next steps include working with Crown Estate Scotland to finalise an Option Agreement and preparing to compete for a Contract for Difference (CfD), which will support the project’s route to market.