David Ross
Construction of the world’s largest floating wind farm will now begin off
the Aberdeenshire coast, following the Crown Estate granting a lease to the
Norwegian multinational oil and gas company Statoil.
It is scheduled to begin generating electricity by the end of next year.
The Hywind project will see five 6MW turbines deployed in deeper water than
any previous offshore wind turbines around the UK coast. They will be at a
site called Buchan Deep, and the closest turbine to the shore will be less
than 16 miles from Peterhead.
The technology has been tested by Statoil (largest shareholder the
Norwegian Government) in a demonstration project off the coast of Norway.
Rather than using fixed foundations on or in the seabed to support the wind
turbines, the Hywind project consists of a floating steel tube filled with
ballast, which is fastened to the seabed.
The project was given planning consent from Marine Scotland last October
and Statoil has taken the final investment decision to proceed with the
project. Preliminary on-shore and near-shore works will start later this
year and erection of the turbines is due to begin in 2017, with first power
being generated towards the end of the year.
Leif Delp, Project Director for the Hywind Scotland project said:
“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 the hard work of industry and supportive government policies, the
UK and Scotland is taking a position at the forefront of developing
offshore wind as a competitive new energy source.”
Ronnie Quinn, General Manager of The Crown Estate’s Scotland Portfolio
said: “We have been working closely with Statoil, Scottish Government and
other partners to help bring forward this innovative project which helps
consolidate the position of Scotland and the UK as a global leader in the
offshore renewables sector.
“Hywind is the first of its kind in the world. Its successful operation
will demonstrate the viability of floating wind in deep water locations and
bring forward cost reduction techniques that will move the whole sector
forward.”
He said the development of emerging technologies, from floating wind to
tidal current energy, had placed Scotland in a very strong position to
secure global investment in low carbon energy.
Lindsay Roberts, Senior Policy Manager at industry body Scottish
Renewables, said:
“The granting of Hywind’s lease marks an important milestone for the
project. Floating offshore wind is an exciting technology with huge, global
potential, and it’s great to have this world first in Scottish waters.”
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