This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Scotland's first offshore wind farm
19/03/2003
Proposals for Scotland's first offshore wind farm at
Robin Rigg in the Solway Firth were approved today.
It is to be located in Scottish waters, 9km from the
nearest landfall on the coast of Dumfries and Galloway at
Balcary Point and almost equidistant from the Cumbrian
Coast.
Deputy Enterprise Minister Lewis Macdonald said the wind
farm, to be developed by Offshore Energy Resources Limited,
would provide enough clean electricity to supply the annual
demand of 180,000 average households.
Mr Macdonald said:
"The wind farm has the potential to cut our future
carbon emissions through renewable energy and contribute
significantly to the Scottish Climate Change Programme.
"The decision to grant consent on this proposal has not
been taken lightly and has followed a lengthy consultation
process to ensure the Executive's strategy towards
realising natural renewable resources does not come at an
unacceptable cost to the surrounding environment.
"The conditions attached to this consent provide strict
standards to safeguard our natural heritage during and
beyond the life span of the power station.
"This proposal will provide clear environmental benefits
as well as securing Scotland's position as a key player in
the development of a renewables sector in Europe."
The Robin Rigg Proposal is for a 60 turbine wind farm
with a generation capacity of up to 199 Megawatts.
The Scottish Climate Change Programme sets out the
measures the Executive is taking, in partnership with the
UK Government to combat the threat of Climate Change. These
include a commitment to increase the generation of
electricity from renewable sources in Scotland to 18% by
2010.
The Robin Rigg proposal is the first offshore wind farm
plan to come before the Scottish Ministers for consent
under Section 36 procedures.
The wind farm is owned half by Offshore Energy Resources
Ltd, a subisidiary of Babcock and Brown, and half by Solway
Offshore Ltd, a subsidiary of TXU Europe Group PLC (in
Admistration) which agreed on March 14, 2002, to sell its
interest in SOL to Babcock and Brown.