Offshore wind growth 'a matter of pride' for communities around Moray Firth
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Coastal communities including Wick are being told that the growth of the offshore wind industry in the Moray Firth should be a source of pride.
Representatives of the proposed Caledonia offshore wind farm were in the town on Monday as part of a short series of public consultation events. Other sessions are taking place in Fraserburgh and Buckie this week.
The 2GW project is being developed by Ocean Winds in the Moray Firth, to the east of the Beatrice, Moray West and Moray East sites, and could have as many as 150 turbines.
Ocean Winds, which has its headquarters in Madrid, is the result of a 50-50 joint venture by EDP Renewables and Engie.
Speaking during the consultation event in Mackays Hotel, Caledonia wind farm spokesman Craig Milroy said: “We've got the three events and if there's public demand we'll do further events across the firth.
“The Moray Firth is Scotland's home for offshore wind. We came to Scotland in 2010 to develop offshore wind and our first project was the Moray Firth.
“Caledonia is expected to come online in 2030. That means that we will have brought a project pipeline with consistent opportunities for growing a supply chain and for the industry for a whole 20 years. That will provide 20 years' worth of opportunity.
“What we have learned in that time is that, to allow the supply chain to grow, the most important thing is having predictable, reliable market opportunities – and that's what these projects do.
“The fact that you have this concentration of offshore wind in the Moray Firth has allowed this part of Scotland to develop specialisms and expertise and an international reputation for the growth of a new industry.
“It has become Scotland's powerhouse, and the sustained development and delivery of offshore wind in the Moray Firth is something that people will be able to be proud of.
“Not just that it's delivering electricity for Scotland and the UK, but it is delivering a new type of industry and new economic opportunities."
The site was awarded to Ocean Winds under the Scottish Government’s ScotWind process. A decision has yet to be made on where the wind farm will have its operations and maintenance (O&M) base.
“Any power station needs an operational staff," Mr Milroy said. "We constructed a new O&M base for Moray East [in Fraserburgh], we're constructing another O&M base for Moray West [in Buckie]. O&M facilities will be required for Caledonia.
“All of these create permanent, high-quality jobs that are required for as long as the wind farm is producing power.
“What we can say is that we have a history of creating new facilities to look after wind farms. We make a fairly big commitment to establishing ourselves as a new opportunity in the places that we come to.
“That pipeline of projects means that there's a pipeline of opportunities. We have confidence that Caledonia is going to be one of the most rapid of the ScotWind projects to build.
"For the whole of the Moray Firth coast, it really is becoming home to the Scottish offshore wind industry – it is becoming the place where Scotland gets its electricity.
"The wind farms between them are capable of providing a very substantial proportion of the nation's load, and that is a matter of pride here.”
A virtual consultation is also available.
The first major public document for the project, the offshore scoping report, was submitted to Marine Scotland in October.
