Strategic partnership
ORION’s first strategic partnership was signed in April 2020 with Shetland Islands Council and Net Zero Technology Centre joining forces to work on an energy hub concept.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) was brought in later that year, adding further skills and resources to the strategic partnership, including access to HIE’s network of renewable energy expertise.
In March 2021, The University of Strathclyde joined the partnership bringing extensive expertise, especially in the areas of power systems and marine, as well as links with other universities and industry.
SIC has a dedicated Future Energy team working on ORION along with representatives from Net Zero Technology Centre, HIE and the University of Strathclyde. Together they form the core of the ORION team and its board and project governance structure.
Industry partners
Several energy industry organisations have become part of a steering group that provides guidance to ORION.
That includes industry collaborations with BP, EnQuest, Equinor, Scottish & Southern Electricity (SSE), Siccar Point Energy (SPE), and TotalEnergies.
Those organisations help guide, fund and in some cases support several key studies along with Babcock, Hitachi ABB Power Grids, Ricardo, and Statkraft.
ORION is an active member of several energy associations including NECCUS, SHFCA, Deepwind, Wind Europe, NS HyMap, HUGE (Hydrogen Utilization & Green Energy) Project, Robinson, Blue Economy Cluster Builder, and Back the Scottish Cluster.
The project also works closely with the organisations involved in several consented and proposed renewable energy projects in and around Shetland. Many of these can be found on Shetland's energy resources.
Community Partners
ORION strives to work closely with Shetland's community and established organisations to create an inclusive strategy that promotes all of Shetland.
