Two offshore wind farms are set to be developed in the Moray Firth that will generate enough electricity to power two million households.
The North and South Caledonia offshore windfarms, which will cover an area of 429km2 with up to 140 wind turbines, have been granted consents and marine licences by the Scottish Government.
Developer Ocean Winds has committed to spend £1.7 billion in Scotland across the two projects. The wind farms will support jobs across engineering, manufacturing, ports and vessels, as well as creating long-term operations and maintenance roles.
The Caledonia South project is planning to use a mix of foundation technologies and will help advance Scotland’s position as a world-leader in floating wind.
Ocean Winds must mitigate and minimise impacts to the environment and other sea users, including preparing a detailed seabird compensation plan outlining how adverse impacts on seabirds will be compensated for. These plans will need to be approved by ministers ahead of Caledonia North and South proceeding.
First Minister John Swinney said: “We have given the Caledonia North and South offshore wind farm applications very careful consideration.
“This consent decision is a significant step in Scotland’s progress towards tackling climate change and reaching net zero, which is a key priority for the Scottish Government.
“It is also an important decision for Scotland’s renewables sector. This investment will be built upon further through the delivery of Scotland’s significant future pipeline of offshore wind projects.
“We will continue to work closely with the developer and key stakeholders, including those working in fishing and conservation to minimise impacts on the marine environment and other marine users, balancing the needs of people and nature.”
Caledonia North is a fixed bottom offshore wind farm located in the outer Moray Firth, approximately 28km from the Wick coastline and 48km from the Banff coastline with an anticipated generating capacity of 1 Gigawatts, produced by up to 77 offshore Wind Turbine Generators.
Caledonia South is a combined fixed bottom and floating offshore wind farm located in the outer Moray Firth, approximately 45km from the Wick coastline and 35km from the Banff coastline with an anticipated generating capacity of 1 Gigawatts produced by up to 78 Wind Turbine Generators (of which no more than 39 will be floating).
Across both Caledonia North and Caledonia South, the total number of turbines will not exceed 140.
The applications were supported by an Environmental Impact Assessment Report including information to inform the Habitats Regulations. Consultation and public engagement have been undertaken on the Applications in line with regulatory requirements and the responses received taken into consideration.
The Caledonia North and South offshore windfarms are the second set of ScotWind projects to have been granted offshore consent by Scottish ministers.
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