North Sea energy brief: May 2026
Caledonia offshore wind advances. Hywind Scotland marks 9 years of floating wind. North Sea Transition Authority publishes new decommissioning guidance. Oil and gas production stabilises.
Caledonia offshore wind advances
Ocean Winds' 2GW Caledonia project received onshore planning consent from Aberdeenshire Council on 14 May 2026 — the same day as the Buchan project. Caledonia is a fixed-bottom offshore wind farm that will connect to the grid via underground cables, reinforcing the East Coast as a hub for offshore wind infrastructure.
Source: Offshore Wind
Hywind Scotland: 9 years of floating wind
Hywind Scotland, the world's first commercial-scale floating wind farm, has been operational since 2017. The 30MW project, located off Peterhead, has demonstrated that floating wind technology works in harsh North Sea conditions. Its success has paved the way for the much larger floating wind projects now in development.
Source: Equinor
NSTA decommissioning guidance update
The North Sea Transition Authority published updated decommissioning guidance in April 2026, clarifying requirements for well plugging, pipeline cleaning and environmental monitoring. The guidance reflects lessons learned from early decommissioning campaigns and aims to reduce costs while maintaining safety standards.
Source: NSTA
Oil and gas production update
UK North Sea production stabilised in Q1 2026 following a period of decline. The NSTA reported that improved operational efficiency and new well startups at several fields helped maintain output. However, the long-term decline trend remains, with decommissioning planning increasingly important for mature assets.
Source: NSTA