West of Orkney wind farm developers keen to 'gather as many opinions as possible' in Caithness and Sutherland
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The developers of the proposed West of Orkney wind farm have emphasised that they want to "gather as many opinions as possible" at consultation sessions taking place in Caithness and Sutherland next month.
If it goes ahead, the wind farm will consist of up to 125 wind turbines on a site around 30km from Orkney and 25km off the north Sutherland coast.
It is being developed by Offshore Wind Power Limited, which is arranging a series of pre-application public consultation events that will allow local residents to hear more about the project and offer comments.
As previously reported, sessions are scheduled for Spittal village hall on Monday, November 28 (4pm to 8pm), Bettyhill village hall on Tuesday, November 29 (3pm to 7.30pm), and Thurso's North Coast Visitor Centre on Wednesday, November 30 (3pm to 7.30pm).
Four consultation events are due to take place at Orkney venues the previous week.
Development manager Jack Farnham said: “We’d like to encourage as many people as possible to attend their local event, where they will get a chance to find out more about the proposed wind farm and to speak with and offer feedback to the development team.
“We have already attended a number of local gatherings in Caithness, Sutherland and Orkney and plan further wind farm-specific events in the months ahead, to ensure we gather as many local opinions as possible.
“We have also developed a short online community questionnaire as one way for people to express their opinions about the project – whether they attend an event or not.
“Overall, we’re keen to hear from as many different individuals as we can as this will help inform our development plans.”
The online questionnaire can be accessed at www.westoforkney.com/communities
Every person who completes a questionnaire will be entered into a monthly prize draw to win a £50 voucher. Contact details provided for the prize draw will only be retained for that purpose and will be deleted afterwards.
Up to five export cables to Caithness are envisaged, with a grid connection coming ashore at a point west of Thurso and continuing to the substation at Spittal.
The development will have an expected capacity of 2GW, with first power scheduled for 2029.
The company intends to submit applications for marine licences from Marine Scotland for the construction of the offshore wind farm and associated transmission infrastructure. Marine licence, planning permission and Section 36 consent applications will also be needed to connect the wind farm to Orkney's proposed Flotta Hydrogen Hub.
The company plans to provide over £9 million of direct support for the enhancement of local ports and harbour infrastructure in the north of Scotland.
It has signed a memorandum of agreement with Scrabster Harbour Trust and joined Caithness Chamber of Commerce as a diamond partner, the chamber’s highest level of membership.
