BP wind project partnership to accelerate Scottish EV charging network

BP, together with German energy and charging point specialist EnBW, are to develop a major offshore wind project - Morven - off the east coast of Scotland, which will boost BP’s ability to supply and significantly accelerate the expansion of its EV charging network in Scotland to around 4,000 public chargers by 2030. 

The two companies, who have partnered on other projects, have been awarded a lease option by Crown Estate Scotland following a sucessful bid in the ScotWind leasing round, and will have the potential to develop a total generating capacity of around 2.9 gigawatts (GW), sufficient to power more than three million homes.

The success of the bid is expected to unlock a number of investments across the country, as part of BP’s integrated energy company approach, leveraging its existing North Sea infrastructure, skills and relationships and EnBW’s experience in offshore wind. Along with the offshore wind development, these investments include significant expansion of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Scotland and green hydrogen production. Together, these represent up to £10 billion of investment in support of offshore wind and Scotland’s energy transition.

BP chief executive Bernard Looney said: “BP has a proud 100-year history in Scotland. We want to thank Crown Estate Scotland for the opportunity to now start a new chapter, helping Scotland continue as a global energy leader for the next 100 years.  We have a fantastic partner in EnBW and now an even more competitive portfolio of nearly 6GW of combined offshore wind to develop together.

“Our plans go much further than just the turbines offshore. They see us investing in projects and in people - from EV charging to green hydrogen - aligned with Scotland’s energy transition plans. “This is good business - making disciplined investments and demonstrating what an integrated energy company can do; we can’t wait to get to work.” 

As a result of the successful ScotWind bid, the partners will establish their operational centre in Scotland, and BP will make Aberdeen its global operations and maintenance centre of excellence for offshore wind, creating up to 120 new direct jobs.  It is expected to contribute up to £40 million per year to the economy.

As well as investments in infrastructure, ports, harbours and shipyards, tBP also intends to apply its integrated business model to use the clean power generated offshore to supply and significantly accelerate the expansion of its EV charging network in Scotland, to around 4,000 public chargers, by 2030. 

BP and EnBW are also jointly developing up to 3GW of offshore wind in the Irish Sea — the Morgan and Mona projects.

BP’s strategy includes plans to increase low-carbon investment to around $5 billion a year by 2030. Rapidly growing its renewables business is core to bp’s strategy — by 2030 it aims to have developed 50GW of net renewable generating capacity. BP currently has a global renewables development pipeline totaling 23GW net, and its share of this award will add to this.  

BP’s wider low-carbon activities in Scotland include its Aberdeen city partnership, including an agreement to develop green hydrogen.