OWC, Empire Engineering Secure Work on Scottish Offshore Wind Farms
June 5, 2025
OWC and Empire Engineering have been selected to provide owner’s engineering services at the Ayre and Bowdun offshore wind farms, supporting Thistle Wind Partners (TWP), a consortium composed of DEME, Qair and Aspiravi, from concept selection through to further design phases.
Renewable energy consultancy OWC, part of ABL Group, will act as owner’s engineer for both offshore wind farms covering three technical packages, comprising cables, onshore civils and electricals, wind resource and layouts, and wind turbine generators (WTGs), as well as overall project management.
Empire Engineering will provide owner’s engineering services for the foundation packages of both offshore wind farms. Its scope of work includes the review and drafting of key technical documentation, such as the employer’s design basis and employer’s requirements for design, fabrication, and installation.
The company will also provide technical support during concept selection workshops, benchmark EPCI costs, assess contractor proposals and commercial terms, and review critical design deliverables.
In addition, Empire Engineering will undertake independent technical reviews and adequacy assessments, ensuring alignment with certification standards and bankability requirements across all phases of the projects.
Ayre and Bowdun Offshore Wind Farms
With one floating project and the other bottom-fixed, both present cutting-edge technical and commercial challenges.
The 1 GW Ayre floating offshore wind farm is located 33 kilometers from the nearest inhabited point on Orkney – Deerness in the E3 leasing zone, off the east coast of Scotland. It will cover an area of approximately 200 square kilometers.
The 1 GW bottom-fixed Bowdun offshore wind farm will cover an area of 187 square kilometres and is located approximately 44 kilometres from the coast of Aberdeen.
"Together, the Ayre and Bowdun offshore wind farms will deliver 2GW of offshore wind capacity, bringing us a step closer to Scotland's offshore wind targets. Each project presents differing design requirements across floating and fixed-foundation technologies.
“By awarding the foundation lot to Empire Engineering, we’re engaging a team with proven expertise and the practical insight needed to support successful delivery as the projects move into their next phase,” said Lee Goulding, TWP's engineering and technical director.
