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World’s third largest offshore wind farm to go ahead

Scotland’s Energy Minister Fergus Ewing has announced the formal consent for two adjacent offshore wind farm applications in the outer Moray Firth. Moray Offshore Renewables Limited (MORL) and the Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Limited (BOWL) will together make up the world’s third largest offshore wind farm, with up to 326 wind turbines. The developments, sited off the Caithness coast, will have a generating capacity of up to 1,866 MW.
 
The consents were granted subject to strict conditions which will monitor and mitigate a range of potential impacts, including in relation to birds and other environmental considerations. MORL is a joint venture between EDP Renewables and Spain’s Repsol Nuevas Energias UK, while BOWL is a joint venture partnership formed between SSE Renewables and Repsol Nuevas Energias UK.
 
Meanwhile, Siemens is investing more than £160mn in new offshore production facilities and a new logistics and service centre to be built in Hull. Production of rotor blades for offshore wind turbines of the 6 MW class of turbines is planned. The offshore wind market in Great Britain has high growth rates, with an even greater potential for the future, says Siemens. Wind power capacity has doubled here within two years, to roughly 10 GW. By 2020, a capacity of 14 GW is to be installed and projects for just over 40 GW are currently in the long-term planning.
 
Siemens and its partner Associated British Ports will be investing £310mn at the project sites. The investments will stimulate the country’s job market: 1,000 will be created directly, with 550 of these in rotor blade production and 450 in Green Port Hull. Other jobs will follow in the construction industry and emerge indirectly in the supply industry, adds Siemens.
 
Green Port Hull is scheduled to take up operations at the beginning of 2016, with commencement of rotor production scheduled for the summer of 2016. Full capacity of the factory is to be reached starting at mid-2017.
 
Last, and on a rather smaller scale, Endurance Wind Power welcomed Energy Minister Greg Barker MP to its new turbine manufacturing plant in the West Midlands in March. The factory, just outside Kidderminster, assembles 225 kW turbines and will create up to 100 new green jobs and eventually build 100 farm-scale turbines a year, becoming an international export hub.

News Item details


Journal title: Energy World

Countries: UK -

Subjects: Policy and Governance, Offshore wind power, Wind farms, Jobs, Offshore wind farms

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