This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Offshore wind power enters new era - FM
26/08/2004
The world's largest offshore wind farm in deeper waters
is now a step closer, thanks to £6 million of public
funding to support the Scottish based consortium.
The conmsortium is led by offshore oil operator Talisman
and Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE), which plans to
construct a deepwater wind farm demonstration project next
to the Beatrice Field.
The Scottish government is making a contribution of £3
million, which will be matched by £3 million from the
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
The demonstrator project will use two of the largest
turbines installed anywhere in the world to test the
technical and economic feasibility of deepwater wind farms
distant from shore. Subject to the results of the
demonstrator, Scotland should see a massive offshore wind
farm of up to 200 turbines, capable of generating enough
renewable electricity to power the city of Aberdeen.
Speaking at a dinner in Aberdeen to celebrate Talisman's
successful ten years of oil and gas operations in the North
Sea, Mr McConnell said:
"This exciting Talisman and SSE project is
technologically and economically challenging, but offers
the potential to take offshore wind farm technology to a
new level.
"For thirty years Scottish based companies and Scottish
expertise have proved that offshore technology can prosper,
even in the deep and difficult waters of the North Sea.
Utilising the skills and techniques already there in our
oil and gas sector can make us world leaders in a whole new
generation of renewable energy technologies, including
offshore wind, wave and tidal.
"We are committed to extending the life of our oil and
gas industry, and one of the ways to do this is through
diversification. Through renewable energy and
diversification we can provide new opportunities for
industry, and make an important contribution to our
ambitious target of generating 40 per cent of Scottish
electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020.
"I am therefore delighted that the Scottish government
and the DTI have each agreed to provide £3 million to
support this project. A project which should see the first
electricity being generated in 2006, and offer tremendous
opportunities for jobs and construction across Scotland in
the future"
The funding from the Executive will go towards
supporting a two-turbine demonstrator project at Beatrice
Field. The demonstrator is an essential step towards
establishing the technical and economic feasibility of a
full-scale 200 turbine offshore deepwater wind farm with
the potential to generate 1000 Megawatts of renewable
energy.
This development would be the largest offshore wind farm
so far constructed, and would be located on the 12 mile
limit, in water depths of around 40 metres.
Phase I of the project involved a series of studies to
investigate the potential of deepwater offshore wind farms.
These studies, partly funded by the Executive and by DTI,
were an essential first-step in developing the structure
technology and installation process, in developing a
proposal for Phase II, and verifying the technical and
commercial viability of full-scale development-Phase
III.
Phase I of the project was backed by a £194,000 research
grant from the Scottish Executive and the DTI, announced in
August 2003.