Hundreds of wind turbines to be built in Firth of Forth

Published Date: 08 January 2010
By Jenny Fyall
THE government will today give the green light for up to 1,000 offshore wind turbines to be built in two locations off the Scottish coast.
• A turbine in the Cromarty Firth – similar to those destined for the Firth of Forth and Moray Firth. Rights are expected to be granted for developers to build huge projects in nine locations around the British coast, in a massive expansion of offshore wind generation. Two of the spots earmarked are in the Firth of Forth and the Moray Firth.Rights will be granted by the Crown Estate, which owns the seabeds on behalf of the government, to winning bidders, as part of the Round 3 Offshore Wind programme.In total, this tranche of offshore wind development is expected to generate up to 32 GW of electricity – the equivalent of 18 new coal-fired power stations – by about 2020. This is the equivalent to about a quarter of UK demand.Up to 4.7GW would be generated from Scotland, from as many as 1,000 enormous turbines. They would be far larger than onshore machines – standing more than 150 metres above the seabed and weighing over 300 tonnes.The sites in the Moray Firth and Firth of Forth are both at least 12 miles from the coast, meaning the turbines would just be visible from shore.It will be the biggest expansion of offshore wind ever seen in the UK and the first major development off Scotland.Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: "Our policies in support of offshore wind energy have already put us ahead of every other country in the world."This new round of licences provides a substantial new platform for investing in UK industrial capacity. The offshore wind industry is at the heart of the UK economy's shift to low carbon, potentially worth £75 billion and supporting up to 70,000 clean-energy jobs by 2020." In the Moray Firth site, a consortium made up of EDP Renewables and SeaEnergy Renewables is expected to be granted a licence.And in the Firth of Forth, a consortium called Seagreen Wind Energy, made up of Airtricity and Fluor, is hopeful of a licence.Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy said: "Scotland is the windiest country in Europe, and this shows we're creating the right conditions for the energy industry to invest in harnessing it. This is one of the strongest signals that Scotland is at the heart of the UK's commitment to a low-carbon, energy-secure, prosperous future."Dr Richard Dixon, director of WWF Scotland, said: "I think this is an extremely important development for Scotland."He did not think the turbines would change the view from the coast. "They will be so far out that you would have a reasonable view of them from the top of a hill with some binoculars, but otherwise they will be tiny spots on the horizon," he said. "They won't be a serious intrusion."Developers will have to apply for planning permission before they can build the wind farms. Construction is expected to start from 2014. The offshore projects will help the Scottish Government meet its target, in the Climate Change (Scotland) Act, of generating 50 per cent of electricity from renewables by 2020.Offshore wind has not proved as controversial as onshore wind. However, applications are likely to raise concerns from various sectors. There are fears turbines could disrupt shipping routes, interfere with fishing interests and damage the subsea environment.Major challenges also remain over installing giant turbines in the water. This is expected to be particularly difficult in Scotland, where the ocean becomes deeper closer to shore than around the rest of the UK.And there are concerns over likely shortages of supply-chain equipment, such as the large vessels needed to install the turbines. However, Scotland is thought to have an advantage, with expertise and equipment that can be transferred from the oil industry.Supporters of offshore wind energy claim the sector could transform the economy, creating thousands of green jobs. But critics point to the intermittent supply of power from wind turbines.There are also question marks about how all the electricity generated by the offshore farms would be connected to the grid.Meanwhile, it is anticipated that £1.5 million will be granted today to Burntisland Fabrications Ltd in Fife to set up a manufacturing facility that can build more than 100 turbine "jacket" sub-structures per year by 2011. This will be part of £8m of grants across the UK to support the supply chain for offshore wind farms.Greenpeace executive director John Sauven said the UK must make the most of a "momentous opportunity"."Throughout its history, Britain has shown the determination and ingenuity to tackle the great industrial challenges of each era," he said. "In the 21st century, these qualities are being called on once again, to enable the transition from fossil fuels to clean, renewable sources of energy. "The economic and environmental benefits are huge, but unless we make the most of this opportunity, others will." IN NUMBERS1,000: number of offshore turbines that could be built at the two sites off Scotland.4.7: gigawatts the amount of electricity they would generate.£100bn the amount of money the government is expected to announce for offshore wind today.12: miles minimum distance from the coast of the wind farms.70,000: number of jobs in the offshore wind sector the government believes could be created by 2020