Offshore wind consultants

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.

RPS has become 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

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 to 2020 and RPS now successfully delivers 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. 

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.

Environmental and permitting risks

We apply our experience from leading the permitting process on some of the largest offshore wind developments in the world, to identify and categorise the key permitting risks on a given development. This places us well to advise in a due diligence setting on offshore wind projects at a variety of stages of development – from early phase projects through to projects that have obtained their main development consents and are in pre-construction or construction. We apply our experience to evaluate the different key risks that could occur at each of these lifecycle stages.

We apply a structured approach to risk identification and categorisation that we have developed and implemented across several projects. Our approach considers the nature of a given risk, as well as the implications in terms of consent viability, consent condition implications (or the potential for these) and associated timeline and cost risks.

Our approach can be tailored to the requirements of our clients, with whom we work closely throughout the process.

Permitting advisory and due diligence

The world today is radically changed, and will continue to evolve as markets and organisations work together to deliver their revised ambitions to meet future sustainability goals – nearshore and offshore.

With mergers and acquisitions being more frequent, understanding the local environmental sensitivities, permitting and regulatory risks, and the key data gaps associated with these deals is critical for their successful completion.

RPS has extensive permitting experience in the siting, development, construction and operation of major offshore developments in complex marine environments – so we have a deep understanding of the potential permitting and associated cost and time risks, and mitigations to limit your exposure.

Cumulative impact assessment

As offshore infrastructure development increases, managing the environmental impacts becomes more complex.

RPS’ Alun Williams, Director - Offshore Renewables, delivered an ‘on demand’ presentation on permitting and cumulative impacts assessment at a recent US Offshore Wind virtual event.

You can watch the full 20-minute presentation here

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 Metocean 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, and view, more about our LiDAR buoys

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 within a competitive process.

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.

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

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.

Watch: OceansMap explained

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.

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A demonstration of our deep expertise

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.

Star of the South: was and current data modelling

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.

Oriel Offshore Windfarm

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.

offshore wind farm at sunset

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.  

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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.

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Leading minds in offshore wind

Featured insights – solving problems that matter

Contact us

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Alun Williams

Global Offshore Renewables Director T: +44 (0) 1483 746 500 Email
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Woking | UK
Murray Burling

Murray Burling

Managing Director - Energy, Australia Asia Pacific T: +61 8 9211 1111 Email
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Perth - Subiaco | Australia

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