West of Orkney wind farm gains offshore consents for 125-turbine development with Caithness connections
A major offshore wind farm that will connect to the electricity grid in Caithness has gained consent to develop up to 125 turbines off the north coast.
The West of Orkney wind farm was granted offshore consent by the Scottish Government on Friday in what developers describe as a major milestone for the scheme.
The two gigawatt wind farm is the first ScotWind project to secure both onshore planning permission and offshore consent. A final leasing agreement is still required and the aim is to produce the first electricity from the scheme by 2029.
The wind farm, which is being developed by a partnership of Corio Generation, TotalEnergies and Renewables Infrastructure Development Group, is to be located around 30km west of the Orkney Mainland and 25km north of the Sutherland coast.
It will consist of up to 125 turbines on fixed foundations and the export cable will come ashore close to Dounreay, before linking into a new substation planned “at or near Spittal”.
Scrabster would operate as the development’s main operations and maintenance port.
Project director Stuart Macauley said: “The West of Orkney wind farm has the potential to deliver enough renewable electricity to power around two million homes. Its construction would spark significant investment in Scotland’s supply chain, port and harbour infrastructure, and the skilled jobs that would follow.
“We’d like to thank the Scottish Government, their officials and all of the stakeholders and suppliers who have worked with us so proactively to make this happen. This underlines a clear commitment by industry and government to work together on growing an offshore wind industry in Scotland.”
However, he added: “Like many projects in Scotland and the UK, we and our investors are focused on working with government to achieve the certainty required on key regulatory areas such as transmission charging, electricity market reform and the rules for future CfD auction rounds.
“Gaining clarity on these points will be crucial for investors to fully understand the economic case for progressing into construction and operation.
“The UK government has set out ambitious decarbonisation goals for 2030 and beyond, and our pioneering wind farm, backed by major international investors, can deliver jobs, inward investment and make a significant contribution to the energy transition in Scotland.”
Highland Council approved in principle the project’s application for onshore planning permission – covering the underground cables and electrical infrastructure required to connect the wind farm to the national transmission network in Caithness – in June 2024.
In March of this year, the council indicated it would raise no objection to the offshore planning application submitted to Scottish ministers.
The developer said it had already instigated and supported various initiatives in the north of Scotland, including a £1 million research and development programme being led by EMEC in Orkney, a £900,000 education initiative led by UHI, and a £125,000 Fit 4 Renewables scheme led by ORE Catapult.
The offshore consent submission included applications for consent under the Electricity Act 1989 and marine licence applications under the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010.