The
Muir Mhòr offshore wind farm, a 50/50 joint venture between
Fred Olsen Seawind and
Vattenfall and one of the world’s first commercial-scale floating offshore wind projects, remains ‘on track’ to be built in Scottish waters, after Aberdeenshire Council backed plans to connect the project to the National Grid by granting — in principle — planning permission for the wind farm’s onshore infrastructure, which includes underground cabling and a substation.
A separate offshore consent application covering the wind farm itself was submitted at the end of last year and is currently being considered by the Scottish Government. If Muir Mhòr’s offshore application is approved, the project is set to start generating clean and renewable power in the early 2030s, bringing ‘huge economic benefits to Aberdeenshire in the process’. The wind farm will be located off the east coast of Scotland, about 63km out from Peterhead.
These benefits referred to include the creation of a significant number of jobs during the wind farm’s construction, operation and maintenance phases, along with a supply chain contributing millions of pounds to the region’s economy; and once operational, the wind farm will be able to generate up to 1GW of clean power — enough to provide electricity for the equivalent of up to 1.2 million homes.
David Hinshelwood, project director for Muir Mhòr offshore wind farm, said: “The granting of onshore planning consent is a very important moment for our project, and we are delighted that Aberdeenshire Council has decided to give the go-ahead. Our submission followed a long period of consultation where we listened carefully to those impacted by our development, took on board their feedback, and made adjustments. Our focus is now on gaining approval for our offshore consent application from the Scottish government, so our project can move ahead and bolster the UK’s energy security.”