Offshore consent filed for 1 GW floating wind farm
Scotland’s Buchan wind farm reaches a key milestone with offshore consent application, set to bring major investment and thousands of jobs.
Image for illustrative purposes
Scotland, Aberdeenshire: Progress on Scotland’s 1 GW Buchan floating wind farm has taken a major step forward with the submission of its offshore consent application.
The project, located around 72 km (45 mi) off the Aberdeenshire coast, has reached this milestone two years after securing seabed rights from the Crown Estate. Developers are also assessing several ports in northeast Scotland to host the operations and maintenance hub.
Clare Lavelle, project director, said the aim was to create “a world-leading floating offshore wind farm” that would boost Scotland’s manufacturing base, generate thousands of jobs and help achieve national offshore wind targets.
Buchan is expected to drive more than $1.2 B (£900 M) of investment into Scotland’s supply chain. At the peak of construction, around 2,900 jobs could be supported, with about 300 long-term roles during operation. Developers have also committed to manufacturing the project’s floating substructures in Scotland, further increasing the local benefits.
Alongside the offshore consent, a planning application for onshore works will be lodged later this year with Aberdeenshire Council. This will set out the cable route and connection to the transmission network at Peterhead substation.
Scheduled for full commissioning in 2033, the Buchan project has the potential to supply clean power to up to one million UK homes.
Source: 4C Offshore