© Supplied by BlueFloat Energy | N 
An offshore wind development partnership with plans to build six offshore wind farms in the UK has agreed a deal with Aberdeen’s Fennex to deploy its WindSafe safety software.
BlueFloat Energy and Nadara are developing the 99.5MW Sinclair and Scaraben floating offshore wind farms as part of the innovation and targeted oil and gas (INTOG) leasing round in 2022 as well as the Bellrock, Broadshore and Stromar floating ScotWind projects off the coasts of Aberdeen, Fraserburgh and Caithness, respectively.
The BlueFloat group said Fennex’ technology would be used as it develops its 4.4GW portfolio of floating wind projects in the UK as part of its aim meet targets on using local suppliers.
Fennex developed its AI-powered safety and assurance platform with support from an innovation grant provided by the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP) – an initiative delivered by ORE Catapult to accelerate the growth of the UK’s offshore wind supply chain through targeted innovation support.
BlueFloat Energy | Nadara Partnership portfolio director David Robertson said: “As a pioneer in commercial scale floating offshore wind, we see digital innovation and the use of AI as key to delivering safer, smarter, and more resilient operations.
“Through our involvement in the ORE Catapult’s Launch Academy, we’ve actively supported the growth of local innovation, with Fennex demonstrating capability in bridging deep offshore experience with forward-thinking digital solutions.
“As we advance our 4.4 gigawatt portfolio of floating wind projects, we remain committed to supporting a competitive, local supply chain and enabling technology that strengthens the industry as a whole.”
The terms of the agreement were undisclosed but it was hailed as a first for the sector deploying Fennex technology.
WindSafe offers real-time visibility, predictive analytics, and intelligent automation to enhance performance and reduce challenges found in high-risk offshore environments.
Fennex, established by former oil and gas engineers Nassima and Adrian Brown, was recently awarded a King’s Award for Enterprise.
It developed the WindSafe technology “drawing on years of experience pioneering digital transformation in the global oil and gas sector” to develop a solution tailored to the unique demands of offshore wind.
Nassima Brown added: “This collaboration marks a defining moment, not only for Fennex, but for how the offshore wind sector approaches safety in the digital era. BlueFloat Energy | Nadara’s leadership in being first to adopt WindSafe sets a new standard for the industry.”
“WindSafe was engineered from the ground up using our oil and gas expertise and shaped in close collaboration with wind industry stakeholders. With support from ORE Catapult programmes and regional partners like ETZ and AREG, the platform has been validated as a critical solution for scaling safe and efficient offshore wind operations.
Brown concluded: “As offshore wind continues to grow at pace globally, WindSafe is ready to scale with it, enabling smarter, safer, and more competitive projects. We’re proud to support one of Scotland’s most ambitious floating wind portfolios and contribute to positioning the UK as a global leader in offshore digital innovation.”#
The BlueFloat/ Nadara group has also chosen Inverness firm Sarens PSG to study how floating wind turbines can be deployed on an industrial scale in the North Sea. It has also tasked the Edinburgh-based office of the consultancy Arup to assess emerging technologies needed to deliver the projects, and Aberdeen’s First Marine Solutions (FMS) to design mooring solutions for the projects.
