Highlands to be at the forefront of floating wind power resurgence
EIGHT THOUSAND Scots homes will be powered by a floating turbine project approved by Highland council and built by Dounreay Trì Ltd.
Located off the coast of Thurso, the turbine has been described as an example of how windfarms on the deeper waters off the North and West Coast of Scotland can make a significant contribution to helping Scotland meet its renewable energy targets.
The Dounreay project will consist of a two turbine offshore windfarm with a total installed capacity of 10 Megawatts.
“Research shows that generating half of our energy from renewables by 2030 is both necessary and achievable.” Lang Banks
Commenting on the Highland council’s decision, Marcus Thor, the project director for Dounreay Trì Ltd said: “We are delighted that the Council has agreed with this project and hope that Marine Scotland and the Scottish Government can take a timely decision on it.
“This demonstration facility which will be built and operated in Scotland opens up the possibility for a significant increase in offshore wind generation and associated supply chain benefits in Scotland.”
The wind farm will be placed around 9km off Dounreay in Caithness in summer next year. However, it still has to leap over the final few applications with Marine Scotland, with Scottish ministers looking at any final environmental and marine based queries.
In addition to expressing optimism about the approved project, charities such as WWF Scotland have urged the Scottish Government to do all it can to increase the amount of renewable electrical energy Scotland uses for transport and heating for housing.
“This demonstration facility which will be built and operated in Scotland opens up the possibility for a significant increase in offshore wind generation and associated supply chain benefits in Scotland.” Marcus Thor
WWF Scotland director Lang Banks said: “This proposal still has a few planning process steps to go through. However, successfully developing floating turbines could enable Scotland and other nations to secure even more clean power from offshore wind in the future. Whatever the outcome of these proposals, we will certainly need lots more conventional offshore wind in the future.
“Research shows that generating half of our energy from renewables by 2030 is both necessary and achievable. We look forward to working with the Scottish Government and others to make sure that the policies needed are put in place to deliver on this ambition.”
The Scottish Government told CommonSpace it was “supportive” of the growth of the renewable sector in Scotland given the “natural abundance” of renewable energy such as wind and tidal power. However, they stated they would not be able to comment until the application was finally agreed upon.
The final decision will be made by March 31.
Picture courtesy of Hexicon
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