Scottish Government strengthens offshore wind

The four offshore wind farm projects are:

• Neart na Gaoithe, led by Mainstream Renewable Power Ltd and situated 15 km off the coast of Fife;
• Inch Cape Offshore Limited (ICOL), a joint venture partnership formed between Repsol Nuevas Energías UK Limited and EDP Renewables UK Limited, 150 km² off the Angus Coast; and
• Projects Alpha and Bravo, located 27km and 38km respectively at their closest points from the Angus coastline, being taken forward by Seagreen Wind Energy Ltd (Seagreen), a joint venture partnership formed between Fluor Ltd and SSE Renewables.

Ronnie Quinn, Lead for Energy and Infrastructure in Scotland for The Crown Estate said: “Today’s consent announcements from Scottish Government are another milestone in what has been a landmark year for the UK’s offshore wind industry. As manager of the UK seabed we are delighted to see such positive decisions coming through the planning process, further cementing the UK’s position as a global leader in offshore wind and continuing to attract investors to Scotland.”

We have invested up to a £100 million in a range of projects and research designed to accelerate development and attract investors for offshore wind. For example, earlier this year two sites we have helped progress - the Beatrice and MORL offshore wind projects, in the Moray Firth, were awarded consents totalling 1,866 MW; and earlier this summer we announced the lease for UK’s first offshore demonstration of two-bladed turbines on the seabed at Methil.