The Orkney Island Council has given its backing to the West of Orkney Windfarm’s proposed £multi-billion offshore windfarm, located 30 km west of the Orkney mainland and 25 km north of the Sutherland coast, Scotland.
The offshore plans contain detailed information on how the windfarm will be constructed, including the proposed location of turbines and cable routes, and includes a comprehensive suite of environmental assessments based on survey data collected over two and a half years.
The final consent decision will be made by Scottish ministers following recommendations by the Marine Directorate Licensing Operations Team and taking into account comments made by statutory consultees, including Orkney Islands Council.
The project will have up to 125 turbines on fixed foundations, an expected capacity of around 2 GW and aims to deliver first power in 2029. It is being developed by a joint venture comprising Corio Generation, TotalEnergies and Renewable Infrastructure Development Group.
West of Orkney Windfarm development manager Jack Farnham commented:
“The Scottish Government has a stated ambition to deploy 8-11 GW of offshore wind in Scottish waters by 2030. As the first ScotWind project to enter the planning process, securing timely offshore consent from the Scottish government and onshore planning permission from The Highland Council will be critical if Scotland is to meet this target, which will unlock significant inward investment and with it economic and social benefits to the far north”.
The developer has already supported a number of initiatives in the north of Scotland, including a £1 million research and development programme being led by EMEC in Orkney, a £900,000 education initiative led by UHI, and a £125,000 Fit 4 Renewables scheme led by ORE Catapult.
The West of Orkney Windfarm has engaged in a £105 million investment initiative during the development phase of the project to develop the supply chain that is planned to be enhanced to £140 million by match funding from third parties.
Image courtesy of West of Orkney Windfarm
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