Offshore wind consultants
RPS has been an established, leading provider of professional services to the offshore wind industry since its inception in Europe in the early 2000s.
Across the asset lifecycle
Global energy trends are shaping how governments and developers strategically adapt their business models to find the balance between meeting current energy demands and investing in a sustainable future. As the industry has matured and costs have reduced, new offshore wind markets have begun to emerge.
RPS has a long history supporting developers in Offshore Wind – delivering smart solutions to their complex development goals. Fast forward, we now successfully deliver support and advice to developers, governments, their advisors, and contractors internationally – across Europe, the US, Australia and increasingly, the emerging markets of Asia. As offshore wind consultants, our breadth of services allows our teams to sit alongside our clients throughout the asset lifecycle, providing international standard advice.Â
What we do: offshore wind consultants (advisory & environmental management)
As developers seek to capitalise on the clean energy potential within local markets, RPS specialists are supporting renewable energy investment, innovation and commercialisation.
Communications and engagement
We provide strategic communications and engagement strategy for the offshore wind sector. We work with you to identify audiences, articulate objectives and foster support for initiatives using mediums and forums specifically tailored to your organisational context and project type.
Managing the permitting and consents process
Navigating the complexities of multiple regulatory frameworks and stakeholder engagement needs specialist knowledge and experience. Getting this right can prevent your project from becoming tangled in unnecessary and expensive delays and escalating development and operating costs.
RPS has advised on offshore energy projects for 40 years – our local expertise is backed by an international network to help clients navigate the nuances of increasingly complex regulatory landscapes.
A dedicated team of environmental assessment and permitting project managers
The environmental assessment process for offshore wind can be complex and demanding. Our team of dedicated and experienced offshore wind Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) project managers are supported by a breadth of in-house technical specialists. This team comprises our problem solvers – working closely with our clients to find solutions to complex issues.
Applying international standard advice to provide investment confidence
When you’re looking to apply international standards at a local level, it helps to engage with teams who have a wealth of international experience to back you up. Our teams have experience advising in a range of regulatory environments around the world. Bringing this experience to bear on their projects, they give their clients confidence in the high standard of advice provided.
Robust interpretation of ground conditions to de-risk development areas
Uncertainty regarding offshore ground conditions can introduce unwanted ambiguity to a development project – particularly during a competitive bidding process. RPS are acknowledged experts in the assessment and interpretation of ground conditions, reducing uncertainty and facilitating optimisation and informed decision-making. Find out more here.
Design and manage offshore surveys to ensure fit-for-purpose results
Offshore surveys can be costly from a financial and a programme perspective. It’s critical that surveys are appropriately designed to achieve a given objective. Our teams of in-house technical specialists have deep expertise designing surveys. Our hard-earned experience has been built up through our involvement from the very early days of the offshore wind industry in Europe.
We have specialists who design offshore geophysical and geotechnical surveys, metocean surveys and the full range of environmental surveys (onshore and offshore). We routinely sit alongside our clients helping to procure and manage surveys as well as managing quality control and analysing outputs. Read more about our range of offshore surveys
Unexploded Ordnance (UXO)
We work with clients to assess the risks from Unexploded Ordnance to their project sites before construction. For offshore wind development, we support wind farm developers, cable installation contractors and transmission system operators.
Applying new technology and innovation
We provide high-quality and durable LiDAR buoys for the site-specific long-term measurement of wind resource. Our buoy design is supported by decades of offshore measurement experience in the harshest environments, together with the application of industry-leading technology. Our buoys are environmentally friendly – they’ve been carefully designed with moorings that minimise seabed disturbance and marine life entanglement risk, which simplifies the permitting process. Read more here.
Metocean forecasting for operations planning
We provide unique metocean forecasting that integrates site-specific, real-time measurements with advanced model predictions to provide high-quality forecasts. These improve significantly on traditional forecast products, providing our clients with better information on which to make important decisions. Read more about our metocean sciences and technology solutions
OceansMap | An ocean of data. Integrated.
Using ocean data, visualisation systems and data analysis to enhance operations for offshore wind
Operating in complex ocean environments, offshore wind developers and contractors face a breadth of planning, implementation, and operational challenges. Already limited windows of opportunity for on-site construction and operational maintenance are often reduced by changing weather and uncertainty regarding MetOcean conditions. Effectively navigating this complex network of challenges requires integrated software systems, like RPS OceansMap, to ensure success.
Innovating to help drive the offshore wind industry
Supporting you to navigate complex offshore wind development projects
Discover some of the markets where we’ve applied our expertise to support offshore wind development.
Demonstrating our deep expertise
-
Applying our learnings from major projects
Hornsea Three was a game-changer for UK offshore wind consenting (also known as permitting or approvals). Our consenting work for this project was featured in a recent edition of 'Energy Focus' magazine – read the article to find out about the unique insights we gained as Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) lead for Hornsea One, Two and Three.
-
Star of the South, Australia
RPS is providing environmental services and planning expertise to support Australia’s first offshore wind project – Star of the South. Our Ocean Science & Technology team is also working to quantify the potential impacts of the development on ocean waves and currents.
-
E-learning for offshore wind consenting in the UK
As part of the Offshore Wind Industry Council (OWIC) Pathways to Growth (P2G) program, RPS designed an e-learning solution to help new decision-makers enhance their knowledge of the consenting process, including giving them rapid and effective onboarding tools.
-
Fisheries co-existence study, Japan
Our client was in the early development phase of their offshore wind projects in Japan. They were keen to understand how they might manage the interaction of their proposed developments with the fishing industry, maximising the opportunities for co-existence and minimising the risk to ongoing project development.
-
Equinor and RPS successfully launch LiDAR buoys, Ulsan, South Korea
South Korea has ambitious plans to develop 12GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030. To support this growing demand, Equinor is planning to develop the floating offshore wind project Firefly.
-
Oriel offshore wind farm, North Irish Sea
Parkwind appointed RPS to deliver project management, planning, environment impact assessment, appropriate assessment, and ecology services. Set to generate clean, renewable energy capable of powering over 300,000 homes, the Oriel project will deliver significant economic and environmental benefit both locally and nationally.
-
Vineyard Wind 1: Protected species monitoring and mitigation
Our Protected Species Observer service are supporting the first commercial-scale offshore wind project in the US, deploying highly experienced personnel and sophisticated technology during the construction stage.
-
The META Project, Pembrokeshire
RPS is delighted to have supported Marine Energy Wales (MEW) through the consenting process to obtain a Marine Licence for the META Project Phase 2. The META project test site will support the UK Government goal of achieving 20% of electricity supplied from renewable sources by acting as a stepping stone to full-scale device development and deployment.
Offshore wind news
-
Geoscience Consulting team support Dutch site characterisation
-
Supporting Curonian Nord, Lithuania
-
ScotWind: Thistle Wind Partners consortium selects RPS for offshore wind project environmental assessment
-
RPS to support a potential offshore wind development in new Zealand / Aotearoa
-
RPS celebrates TIDE research hub launch
Offshore wind careers: delivering projects that matter
RPS is keeping pace with a rapidly developing renewables industry. We have several opportunities for talented consultants to join our team. So why not take a look, tell us where you'd like to work, and we'll help you get there.
Offshore wind brochures
Get in touch
Related services
