Arven Offshore Wind Farm (“Arven”) – a flagship 2.3GW floating offshore wind project and joint-venture between Ocean Winds and Mainstream Renewable Power – has awarded NORN, the Shetland Engineering Alliance, a contract for manufacturing, maintaining and retrieving moorings for a passive acoustic monitoring campaign.

The award is the first major contract win for the alliance – a collaboration between four leading firms specialising in engineering services for the clean energy sector. The award was made just weeks after Arven reached two other important agreement milestones with local suppliers, demonstrating the project’s commitment to developing Shetland’s supply chain and creating economic opportunities.

The advanced scientific monitoring equipment was deployed in early September to collect data on marine mammal presence and activity. The survey method and deployment locations were agreed in discussion with the Marine Directorate and NatureScot. These small, non-invasive acoustic sensors record underwater vocalisations of marine mammal species to better understand local wildlife presence. NatureScot has endorsed the data collection method, noting the benefit of collecting data at an inshore location understood to be frequented by marine mammals.

The findings will inform the project’s offshore Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which will accompany future consent applications. The EIA is a process which systematically identifies and assesses the potential effects that a project could have on the environment. It also identifies measures to regularly monitor and mitigate or manage any predicted effects of the project.

Ewan Walker, Project Director at Arven Offshore Wind Farm, said:

“Arven will be developed in close collaboration with local stakeholders, creating valuable opportunities for Shetland businesses. Shetland businesses’ outstanding marine industry support credentials and direct experience in delivering major energy projects will be crucial to our progress.

“Arven’s sponsors, Ocean Winds and Mainstream Renewable Power, have demonstrated their commitment to building strong supply chain relationships through their portfolio of previous projects. Awarding this contract to NORN represents another significant step toward establishing a resilient and competitive supply chain, which will be critical for the project’s successful delivery.”

In developing the scope of the acoustic monitoring, Arven collaborated closely with the Marine Directorate, NatureScot, and UHI Shetland. Extensive engagement took place with fisheries stakeholders during the monitoring to minimise impact on fishing activities.

The contract with NORN comes after Arven signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Lerwick Port Authority and commissioned a supply chain study in partnership with Voar. The study will assess the most effective ways to maximise local content through the project’s development, construction and operational phases.

As outlined in the project’s Supply Chain Development Statement, Arven’s development programme – expected to be operational by the mid-2030s – emphasises long-term collaboration with local businesses. Realising the potential of floating offshore wind is crucial for national energy security and a successful energy transition, and Arven will play a significant role in enhancing local supply chain capacity.