Iberdrola wins UK mega offshore wind auction with 22.5 billion plan

Iberdrola has won an auction in the United Kingdom for the award of 7,000 MW of offshore wind power with a proposed investment of 22,500 million. The project of the group headed by Ignacio Galán will supply electricity to 8.5 million homes on the islands. It is the largest tender awarded by the Crown Estate Scotland, according to the Spanish multinational.

Iberdrola's winning proposal includes the implementation of three offshore wind farms, two with floating technology and in alliance with Shell, and another with wind turbines anchored to the seabed. The energy corporation now has an offshore wind portfolio with a generation of more than 37,000 MW, of which 10,000 MW correspond to turbines in UK waters.

The three offshore wind farms will be located off the coast of Scotland. To the northwest, the MarramWind project with 3,000 MW. To the east, the CampionWind farm with 2,000 MW. Both with floating turbines and in shared ownership with Shell.

The third will be MachairWind. With anchored wind turbines that will produce 2,000 MW and located in waters close to the Isle of Islay, in the Hebrides, west of Scotland. And with Iberdrola as a 100% shareholder.

The two floating complexes will be the largest in the world with this technology, which is still in the development phase. All three will come into operation in 2030. Of the 22.5 billion investment, Iberdrola will seek suppliers in Scotland from whom it will make purchases worth 12 billion. The project as a whole is called ScotWind.

Ignacio Galán said that offshore wind is key to the decarbonization of the economy. The executive recalled that Iberdrola has so far invested 5.5 billion in this area. "The enormous investment opportunity" of floating technology "requires alliances" such as the one established with Shell, he remarked.