Thistle Wind Partners
Edinburgh-headquartered offshore wind developer developing the 1GW Bowdun (fixed-bottom) and 1GW Ayre (floating) projects in Scottish waters under a DEME-led consortium, targeting consent-stage delivery and eventual power sales to the National Grid.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersEdinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Thistle Wind Partners does
Thistle Wind Partners (TWP) is an Edinburgh-headquartered offshore wind developer established following the January 2022 ScotWind seabed leasing round, in which Crown Estate Scotland awarded the company exclusive option agreements over two Scottish North Sea sites: Bowdun, a 1GW fixed-foundation project located approximately 44 km off Stonehaven in the Aberdeenshire coast E3 leasing zone (187 km²), and Ayre, a 1GW floating-wind project located east of Orkney. The combined portfolio is designed to generate enough renewable electricity to power roughly two million homes, with planned investment of £2.4bn across the Scottish supply chain, over 700 construction-phase jobs at Bowdun alone, and approximately 160 permanent operational roles split between Aberdeenshire and North of Scotland O&M bases.
TWP is owned by a consortium of three strategic renewables shareholders: DEME Group (majority, through DEME Concessions), a Belgian marine engineering and offshore wind contractor with 2,500 turbines installed globally; Aspiravi (30%), a Belgian renewable energy company with more than 1GW of installed North Sea capacity; and Qair, the developer-owner of Ayre and a market leader in floating wind innovation (currently completing the Eolmed floating wind farm in France). The company is staffed by an experienced team drawn from DEME, SSE Renewables, Iberdrola, Ørsted, Vestas Offshore, Siemens Gamesa, Senvion, Balfour Beatty, and Fugro, and operates across engineering, consenting, environment, supply chain, grid, and stakeholder engagement functions with approximately 35 employees.
The business model is infrastructure-development rather than software or recurring services: TWP secures seabed leases, progresses projects through the UK and Scottish regulatory consenting process (Section 36 consent, marine licences, Section 36 onshore planning, and grid connection allocation via NESO's HND-FUE), pre-qualifies Scottish suppliers through its Supply Chain Pathways Programme, and ultimately intends to operate the wind farms generating electricity sold to the National Grid under Contract for Difference mechanisms. DEME Offshore is contracted as the Tier 1 EPCI delivery partner, while SSEN Transmission owns the onshore substations (Hurlie for Bowdun, Banniskirk Hub for Ayre) required for grid connection. TWP is not yet revenue-generating; all activity to date has been consent-stage project development.
Thistle Wind Partners firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Thistle Wind Partners
- Legal name
- Thistle Wind Partners Limited
- Website
- https://thistlewindpartners.scot
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Edinburgh-headquartered offshore wind developer developing the 1GW Bowdun (fixed-bottom) and 1GW Ayre (floating) projects in Scottish waters under a DEME-led consortium, targeting consent-stage delivery and eventual power sales to the National Grid.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Thistle Wind Partners industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Offshore Wind Farm Development
- NAICS
- Wind Electric Power Generation (221115)
- SIC
- Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Offshore Wind Project Development & Leasing (EUAMACAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Offshore Wind Power Generation (Fixed-Bottom) (EUACAFAB), Offshore Wind Power Generation (Floating) (EUACAFAC), Wind Farm Development & Permitting (Greenfield/Brownfield) (EUACAFAE), Wind Grid Interconnection & Power Systems (Transformers, Reactive Power, SCADA) (EUAMACAK)
Keywords
Where Thistle Wind Partners is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Thistle Wind Partners business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Offshore Wind Farm Development and Operation: TWP develops offshore wind farms through ScotWind leasing process, obtains necessary consents, and will operate the wind farms generating renewable electricity sold to the national grid. Revenue will be generated through power sales and potentially Contract for Difference (CfD) mechanisms.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Thistle Wind Partners product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Thistle Wind Partners is an offshore wind project developer developing two large-scale ScotWind lease projects: Bowdun (1GW fixed-foundation offshore wind farm off the Aberdeenshire coast) and Ayre (1GW floating offshore wind farm east of Orkney). The company takes projects through seabed leasing, environmental assessment, Section 36 and marine licensing consents, onshore planning, supply chain development, and into construction and operation. Future revenue is generated by selling the renewable electricity generated to the national grid, potentially under Contract for Difference (CfD) support.
Product overview
Thistle Wind Partners (TWP) is an Edinburgh-based offshore wind developer operating two distinct offshore wind farm projects: Bowdun (fixed-foundation, 1GW capacity) located off Aberdeenshire coast, and Ayre (floating wind, 1GW capacity) east of Orkney. These projects are supported by a Supply Chain Pathways Programme that maximises Scottish supply chain content, a Supply Chain Database for supplier registration, and a Virtual Exhibition Hall for stakeholder engagement. Together, the portfolio represents over 2GW of planned offshore wind capacity.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Bowdun Offshore Wind Farm Proposed fixed-foundation offshore wind development in the E3 leasing zone in the North Sea off the south Aberdeenshire coast, approximately 44km from Stonehaven, with 1GW capacity capable of powering over 1.2 million households.
- Ayre Offshore Wind Farm Floating offshore wind project located east of Orkney, contributing 1GW of renewable energy capable of powering more than 1.2 million households, being developed in partnership with owner Qair.
Quantifiable outcome
- 2GW combined offshore wind capacity across Bowdun and Ayre projects
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Thistle Wind Partners
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Thistle Wind Partners technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Thistle Wind Partners partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- SSEN TransmissioncoreSSEN Transmission is the Transmission Owner in the regions of both TWP projects and is responsible for electricity transmission infrastructure. Grid connections are allocated at SSEN Transmission proposed substations: Banniskirk Hub for Ayre and Hurlie substation for Bowdun.
- National Energy System Operator (NESO)coreNESO allocates grid connection points for offshore wind projects and undertook the Holistic Network Design Follow-up Exercise (HND-FUE) to identify grid connections for ScotWind projects.
- DEME OffshorecoreDEME Offshore serves as the Tier 1 EPCI (Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation) contractor for TWP's projects, with experience installing 2,500 offshore wind turbines globally. The company is overseeing pre-qualification of local firms as suppliers for the projects.
- Crown Estate ScotlandcoreCrown Estate Scotland awarded TWP the ScotWind seabed leases for the Bowdun and Ayre project areas during the January 2022 leasing round, granting option agreements to build offshore wind farms in Scottish waters.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Thistle Wind Partners competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Ørsted: Ørsted is the global leader in offshore wind and a ScotWind option holder with the 1.3GW Hornsea Three among its UK portfolio. Comparable as a large-scale offshore wind developer pursuing Scottish seabed leases and consents via the same regulatory framework.
- EDF Renewables: EDF Renewables is a ScotWind award winner pursuing both fixed-bottom and floating projects in Scotland. It shares TWP's regulatory route, CfD exposure, and supply chain engagement model.
- SSE Renewables: SSE Renewables is one of the largest UK/Scottish offshore wind developers with multiple operational and ScotWind projects (including Berwick Bank, Dogger Bank). It develops both fixed-bottom and floating projects in Scotland and shares TWP's geography, regulatory pathway, and supply chain ecosystem.
- ScottishPower Renewables (Iberdrola): ScottishPower Renewables (Iberdrola subsidiary) is a major UK offshore wind developer with ScotWind options and an operational portfolio. Like TWP, it focuses on large-scale Scottish offshore wind projects and pursues the same consent and grid pathways.
- Vattenfall: Vattenfall is a major European offshore wind developer with ScotWind options and a UK pipeline. It pursues the same Scottish consenting and CfD processes and is a benchmark for project economics in the region.
- ESB: ESB is an Irish utility with ScotWind option holdings and offshore wind development interests in Scotland. It is comparable in scale and approach to TWP as a utility-backed offshore wind developer pursuing multi-GW Scottish opportunities.
Direct peers
- Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP): CIP is a leading infra-style fund focused on offshore wind and a ScotWind option holder with multiple Scottish sites. It is one of the most directly comparable mid-cap developers pursuing multi-GW Scottish offshore wind projects through similar consortia and financing structures.
- Mainstream Renewable Power: Mainstream Renewable Power is a global wind and solar developer with offshore wind interests in Scotland including ScotWind awards. It is comparable to TWP as a multi-tech developer pursuing similar Scottish consenting and grid connection pathways.
- BlueFloat Energy: BlueFloat Energy is a specialist floating offshore wind developer with ScotWind options (e.g., around the Buchan Deep). It is the most analogous direct competitor to TWP's Ayre project, sharing the floating-wind commercial proposition and Scottish seabed lease footprint.
Others
- DEME Concessions (parent / shareholder): DEME Concessions is the majority shareholder of TWP and a global developer/operator of offshore wind concessions. It is thematically linked as a co-developer of TWP's projects rather than a direct competitor, providing reference economics and execution benchmarks for the Bowdun project.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Thistle Wind Partners social profiles
Digital presenceThistle Wind Partners financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Thistle Wind Partners leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Thistle Wind Partners funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Thistle Wind Partners M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Thistle Wind Partners
What does Thistle Wind Partners do?
Thistle Wind Partners is an offshore wind project developer developing two large-scale ScotWind lease projects: Bowdun (1GW fixed-foundation offshore wind farm off the Aberdeenshire coast) and Ayre (1GW floating offshore wind farm east of Orkney). The company takes projects through seabed leasing, environmental assessment, Section 36 and marine licensing consents, onshore planning, supply chain development, and into construction and operation. Future revenue is generated by selling the renewable electricity generated to the national grid, potentially under Contract for Difference (CfD) support.
Is Thistle Wind Partners a public or private company?
Thistle Wind Partners is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Thistle Wind Partners founded?
Thistle Wind Partners was founded in 2022. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Thistle Wind Partners based?
Thistle Wind Partners is headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Thistle Wind Partners make money?
One revenue line is on record: offshore Wind Farm Development and Operation.
Who are Thistle Wind Partners's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Ørsted, EDF Renewables, SSE Renewables, ScottishPower Renewables (Iberdrola), Vattenfall and ESB. Direct peers are Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), Mainstream Renewable Power and BlueFloat Energy. DEME Concessions (parent / shareholder) is listed as an others.
Does Thistle Wind Partners have an API?
No public API is recorded for Thistle Wind Partners.
What industry is Thistle Wind Partners in?
Thistle Wind Partners's product category is Offshore Wind Farm Development. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAMACAB, Offshore Wind Project Development & Leasing, with a secondary code of EUACAFAB, Offshore Wind Power Generation (Fixed-Bottom). Its NAICS code is 221115 and its SIC code is 1623.