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 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, while Empire Engineering will provide owner’s engineering services for the foundation packages of both offshore wind farms.
Empire Engineering’s 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. This appointment reflects Empire Engineering’s proven expertise in both floating and fixed-foundation systems, supporting the successful delivery of two landmark projects that will contribute significantly to Scotland’s offshore wind targets.
OWC has been appointed as owner’s engineer for the remaining packages of the Ayre and Bowdun offshore wind farms. In addition, OWC has been entrusted with overall owner’s engineer project management responsibility across both projects.
Delivered from OWC’s Glasgow office, the work will be carried out by an integrated interdisciplinary team, drawing on the expertise of specialists in project management, integration and delivery, electrical systems, cables, onshore civils, wind and site conditions, WTGs, geoscience, metocean, and operations and maintenance (O&M), with additional transport and installation (T&I) support from sister company ABL.
“Together, the Ayre and Bowdun offshore wind farms will deliver 2 GW 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.
Benoit Briere, Head of Floating Wind at Empire Engineering, added: “We’re proud to be supporting TWP as owner’s engineer for the foundation package on the Ayre and Bowdun offshore wind farms. With both floating and fixed-foundation systems involved, these projects bring unique technical challenges – the kind our team is passionate about solving. It’s a privilege to contribute to projects that will play a meaningful role in Scotland’s energy transition.”
“We are very pleased to be working together with Empire Engineering to deliver owner’s engineering services across these two complex, ground breaking projects in Scotland. It’s our mission to support the holistic optimisation of the project design and delivery strategy from the pre-FEED stage towards implementation, paying close attention to risk identification and mitigation alongside facilitating the development of a sound business case,” concluded Kate Johanessen, OWC’s Country Manager in Scotland.
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