At a media briefing in Inverness, Moray Offshore Renewables Ltd published a report detailing the work it has undertaken over the past year to develop plans for 1 500MW offshore wind generation in the Outer Moray Firth.
The power will be generated by offshore wind turbines, capable of delivering up to 7MW each,. These utilise technology developed by the North Sea oil and gas industry and will allow development to take place in deeper water (up to 60m or 200 feet), in excess of 13 miles from shore. The power will be collected by up to eight offshore electrical platforms, before being sent to shore via a grid connection point at Peterhead Power Station.
The report summarises the investigations of the physical, biological and human environment which have been undertaken, and includes details of the new market for goods and services which the project will bring to the area.
Depending on the successful development of the local supply chain, companies operating in the Moray Firth area could take advantage of this new market, which could be worth hundreds of millions of pounds to the local economy. This could support between 360 and 1400 jobs during construction, and between 130 and 280 jobs through operation and maintenance.
The report will be made available to the public at exhibitions along the Moray Firth Coastline over the next three weeks.
Commenting, Managing Director of EDPR UK, Dan Finch said:
“Over the past year, we have worked hard to move offshore wind in deeper water from a proposal to a viable project. This report shows some of the work we have undertaken across a huge range of different environmental studies.
“In particular, the report examines some of the likely economic impacts of the project and demonstrates the size of the new market we will bring to the Moray Firth area, and to Scotland. We are keen to work with the Government and business agencies which will be able to develop the supply chain and turn this new market into jobs and economic growth.”
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Offshore WIND staff, November 24, 2011; Image: morayoffshorerenewables