The Crown Estate has granted permission for the first floating wind farm to be built in UK waters. Norwegian firm Statoli is planning to build five 6MW turbines at a site in Buchan Deep, 20-30km off the shore of Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, where the waters are more than 100m deep.

The floating wind farm will be the largest of its kind in Europe and one of the biggest worldwide. It represents the next phase of Statoli’s Hywind project, which launched the first successful, full-size offshore wind turbine in Norway in 2009. Scotland was chosen as the location for the Hywind Scotland Pilot Park as it boasts some of the best offshore wind resources in the world.

The project will make a number of important contributions to the UK offshore wind industry. If the Pilot Park is successful, it will help drive down the sector’s energy generation costs in the future, whilst enabling developers to choose sites that are further out to sea and in deeper waters. It is also hoped that the floating turbines will reduce some of the environmental impacts to the seabed associated with conventional offshore projects.

The next milestone for Statoli is to gain the necessary approval from the Scottish Government to progress the project, now that it has consent from the Crown Estate.

Wilding says: ‘With Scotland proudly possessing around a quarter of Europe’s overall offshore wind resources, it’s great to see projects that will unlock this potential. On top of the other benefits listed, it’s important to note that developments like this will also help Scotland meet its climate change targets, create jobs and cement the country’s reputation as a worldwide centre of excellence in offshore wind.’

Sources: ClickGreen