Electricity generating is scheduled to start in 2017 from Hywind Scotland – the world’s largest floating wind power turbine.
Norwegian oil giant Statoil will install a 30 MW wind turbine farm on floating structures at Buchan Deep, about 15 miles offshore from Peterhead – harnessing Scottish wind resources to provide renewable energy to the mainland. The wind farm will power around 20,000 households.
Irene Rummelhoff, Statoil executive vice-president for New Energy, said: “We are proud to develop the world’s first floating wind farm. Our objective with the Hywind pilot park is to demonstrate the feasibility of future commercial, utility-scale floating wind farms.
“This will further increase the global market potential for offshore wind energy, contributing to realising our ambition of profitable growth in renewable energy and other low-carbon solutions,”
The pilot park will cover around 4 square kilometres, at a water depth of 95-120 metres. The average wind speed in this area of the North Sea is around 10 metres per second.
“We are very pleased to develop this project in Scotland, in a region with a huge wind resource and an experienced supply chain from oil and gas. Through industry and supportive policies, the UK and Scotland is taking a position at the forefront of developing offshore wind as a competitive new energy source.”
Scotland’s Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “Hywind is a hugely exciting project – in terms of electricity generation and technology innovation – and it’s a real testament to our energy sector expertise and skilled workforce that Statoil chose Scotland for the world’s largest floating wind farm.”
“The momentum is building around the potential for floating offshore wind technology to unlock deeper water sites. The ability to leverage existing infrastructure and supply chain capabilities from the offshore oil and gas industry create the ideal conditions to position Scotland as a world leader in floating wind technology.”
The British energy Minister, Amber Rudd, added: “This is fantastic news for Scotland and the whole of the UK, demonstrating that we are open for business and that our offshore wind industry continues to go from strength to strength.”
Statoil works with several Scottish suppliers and partners on the project. The project will provide additional work for industry in Scotland and other countries.
The onshore operation and maintenance base will be located in Peterhead, also drawing on resources from Statoil’s existing office in Aberdeen.
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