Pentland Floating Offshore Wind Farm will be precursor to large-scale development across UK and globe
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Developers behind a pioneering offshore wind farm close to Dounreay say the project will act as a blueprint for floating wind technology across the world.
An application for planning in principle was granted to Highland Wind Limited for an onshore substation to export electricity generated from the Pentland Floating Offshore Wind Farm (PFOWF).
The move paves the way for the development of export cables and an onshore substation located near HMS Vulcan and Dounreay, which will feed power from the wind farm into the existing grid network.
Highland Council planners recommended that the north planning committee raised no objection to this onshore element of the wind farm, and it was nodded through without question at a meeting of the committee last week.
Highland councillors agreed in December not to object to proposals for the offshore elements of the wind farm, which will be decided by Scottish ministers.
Richard Copeland, project director for PFOWF, said: “We welcome the Highland Council’s decision to grant the onshore planning permission in principle for Pentland. The project will be the blueprint to advance the deployment of large-scale floating offshore wind in the UK and globally, so this a significant milestone for us as a project and for the industry generally.
“As the pipeline of floating offshore wind projects continues to grow, so will the need for a skilled green workforce. Pentland offers a prime opportunity to build this capacity by supporting the creation of up to 1300 full-time-equivalent supply chain roles during construction and 85 during operation.
"We also expect Pentland to deliver lifetime expenditure of £419 million in the UK which is in line with our 40 to 60 per cent lifetime UK content aim. This will see the project offer essential work to nurture domestic floating wind technology expertise as well as green skills development.”
The application for planning in principle did not attract any representations from the public and NatureScot said it would object unless the detailed work includes measures to protect local peatlands and the North Caithness Cliffs Special Protection Area.
The RSPB is also concerned about the lack of detailed survey work on the impact on birdlife. While it has stopped short of objecting, the organisation has asked for more survey work.
The council’s environmental health department has also asked the developer for a noise assessment and suggested a limit on operational noise at the onshore station.
The wind farm will be located around 7.5km off the coast of Dounreay and is Highland Wind Limited says it is expected to generate 100MW, enough to power almost 70,000 homes, equivalent to 65 per cent of those in the Highland Council area.
Construction is scheduled to begin at the end of 2023, with the wind farm fully operational by 2026.
