North-east offshore wind projects, which will create thousands of jobs combined, have won government approval.
Green Volt, Moray West, Cloiche and Chleansaid wind farms have all been successful in the latest Contract for Difference (CfD) auction.
The CfD scheme guarantees the price the Government will pay per megawatt of electricity produced by the project.
This guarantee makes it easier for renewables projects to receive the investment required to make them a reality.
The latest auction round delivered 131 new green infrastructure projects in its biggest round ever and includes onshore wind, solar, tidal, and offshore wind projects.
Backing for Europe’s largest floating windfarm
Green Volt, located off of Aberdeenshire’s east coast near Peterhead, was among the winners.
It has a strike price of £139.93 per megawatt hour for the 400 megawatt project.
Owned 50% each by Aberdeen-based Flotation Energy and Norwegian firm Vargronn it is Europe’s first commercial-scale floating windfarm.
The windfarm will have up to 35 turbines capable of producing 560 megawatts of power.
Sir Ian Wood, chairman of Energy Transition Zone, previously said Green Volt would unlock around £3 billion of investment and generate hundreds of jobs.
Moray West offshore wind farm makes the cut
The new Moray West offshore windfarm, sitting in the Moray Firth around 14 miles offshore, has also been successful in the CfD round.
The project is expected to generate enough power for the equivalent of 1.3 million homes in the UK.
The 882-megawatt development is nearing the end of its construction phase and on track to become fully operational next year.
Once completed, it will be made up of 60 wind turbines, with each standing more than 400 ft tall.
It has more than 30 miles of offshore cable installed, plus a 16-mile link to a land-based substation.
The project is being developed by Ocean Winds, a 50-50 joint venture between Spanish company EDP Renewables and French energy giant Engie.
‘Major milestone’ for north-east
ETZ Ltd chief executive Maggie McGinlay said: “Today’s CfD round signals a major milestone in positioning north east Scotland as an energy transition world leader.
“Green Volt is to become Europe’s first commercial-scale floating wind project, generating billions of pounds of investment and hundreds of jobs, while signalling the region’s strategic importance in pioneering this technology.
“ETZ is also pleased to see a contract award for Moray West, a state-of-the-art fixed wind project which delivered first power earlier this year and is poised to become a significant boon to the UK economy.”
Funding for Highland wind farms
The proposed 29 turbine Cloiche wind farm in the Highlands has a strike price of £50.90 per megawatt hour for the 130.50 megawatt project.
The site for the 125-megawatt development is at Glendoe and Garrogie Estates, next to the existing Stronelairg wind farm and Glendoe hydroelectric scheme about seven miles south-east of Fort Augustus.
When complete, Cloiche is expected to generate enough renewable energy to power more than 150,000 UK homes annually and offset in excess of 190,000 tonnes of carbon a year.
The proposed 16-turbine Chleansaid Wind Farm, near Lairg is being developed by ESB, and create enough to power approximately 54,000 homes.
The site will be located on the Dalnessie Estate, 13 km to the north-east of Lairg.
It has a strike price of £96.00 per megawatt hour for the 50.90 megawatt project.
Encouraging news for north-east
Another big winner was Inch Cape A and B that will be built off the coast of Angus.
Located about 10 miles from Arbroath the £2bn wind farm will comprise up to 72 turbines and will have a capacity of more than 1GW.
It will produce enough power for 1.1 million homes.
The project is a joint venture between Red Rock Power and ESB Energy and will create 450 jobs in its construction phase.
Scottish Renewables chief executive Claire Mack said the inclusion of Green Volt was “very encouraging”.
She said: “This auction represents a welcome step in the right direction and largely provides cause for optimism.
“Scotland has an enviable pipeline of offshore wind and potentially world leading sites in floating wind.
“The award of a CfD for what is currently the largest floating offshore windfarm across the globe, is therefore very encouraging.”
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