Thistle Wind Partners (TWP) has submitted a planning application to Scotland’s Highland Council for the onshore infrastructure required for its 1 GW Ayre floating wind park, located off the coasts of Caithness and Orkney (Scotland). TWP — a consortium comprising France’s Qair and Belgium-based DEME and Aspiravi — had already submitted the offshore scoping report to Scotland’s Marine Directorate in July 2024. In addition to Ayre, the consortium is also developing the 1 GW Bowdun fixed-bottom wind park, located off the coast of Aberdeenshire (Scotland).

The onshore planning submission follows an extensive site selection process that took into account environmental constraints, public consultations, and engagement with local communities and stakeholders in Caithness (Scotland). The Ayre project secured a seabed lease through the ScotWind leasing round in 2022. The Highland Council’s public consultation on the onshore plans will run from 29 August to 28 September. The Ayre project is expected to be operational by 2033, following an estimated three-year construction phase.

In parallel, in June 2025, the Scottish Government launched a public consultation to raise the country’s offshore wind target to 40 GW by 2040, up from the current target of 8–11 GW by 2030. It projects a potential capacity of 40 GW by 2035, reaffirming its commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2045.