Offshore wind energy company Ocean Winds awarded right to develop in Moray Firth
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INTERNATIONAL offshore wind energy company Ocean Winds has been awarded the right to develop in the outer Moray Firth.
The company, created by EDP Renewables and Engie, has been allowed to develop new wind generation capacity as part of the ScotWind process, run by Crown Estate Scotland.
Bids to develop the 440 km2 site – designated as NE4 by Marine Scotland in 2020 – were invited by the Scottish Government in summer 2021 as part of a competitive process to make new seabed areas available for electricity generation.
It was the first time in a decade that new sites in Scottish waters have been made available for offshore wind.
NE4 has been named “Caledonia Offshore Wind Farm” by Ocean Winds. The site lies to the east of Scotland’s largest wind farm, the Moray East Offshore Wind Farm, which Ocean Winds began developing in 2010 and whose commercial operational date is expected beginning of 2022.
Bautista Rodríguez, CEO of Ocean Winds, said: “We consider it very important to have won the trust of the Scottish Government to continue development of offshore wind in the Moray Firth.
"Scotland and the UK is one of the key strategic markets for Ocean Winds and this success in the ScotWind process strengthens our position as a leading player in offshore wind worldwide.”
Dan Finch, managing director of Ocean Winds UK, said: “Our 950 MW Moray East project led the way, not just in Scotland, but in the world in terms of cutting the cost of low carbon electricity.
"Moray East is now generating enough power to meet the needs of up to 40 per cent of Scottish households. Its sister project, Moray West, is shovel-ready for construction pending the next CfD auction.
"The Caledonia Offshore Wind Farm builds on this success and this announcement provides vital security to the supply chain and makes the Moray Firth the home of Scottish offshore wind generation.”
Output from the Caledonia Offshore Wind Farm is expected to meet the needs of more than a million UK households, and consideration is being given to using part of the output for green hydrogen production.
Development will commence early next year and it is anticipated that the delivery will be in this decade.
