The Buchan Offshore Wind consortium, comprising BayWa r.e., Elicio and BW Ideol, has decided to submit a planning application for onshore infrastructure to Aberdeenshire Council.
Connecting onshore infrastructure and the Scottish coastline.
The application contemplates the installation of an subway cable system which will start at Rattray Head, off the northeast coast of Aberdeenshire, and extend approximately 20 km south to a point near the Peterhead substation. This connection will integrate the floating offshore wind farm, located some 75 km offshore, into the national electricity system.
According to Clare Lavelle, project manager, the ground connection represents an essential component for exporting clean electricity with the capacity to supply approximately one million homes in the United Kingdom. She also assured that all cabling will be subway and that the land will be restored after installation, minimizing visual and environmental impact.
The facility will use BW Ideol’ s Damping Pool substructure as the preferred floating solution. The company is working in parallel to establish manufacturing capabilities at the Ardersier Energy Transition Facility, located on a former oil site in the Moray Firth. This reinforces the ambition to make Scotland a strategic hub for floating wind technology.
Over the past three years, the project team has conducted a series of public meetings with residents and regional stakeholders. This process has been essential to adjust the cable routes and arrival locations based on local priorities and identified environmental constraints.
The vision of the offshore project. Source: BayWa r.e. Global
With an expected grid connection date of 2033, Buchan Offshore Wind is progressing simultaneously with the application for permits for the offshore section of the project, submitted to Scottish Ministers. Obtaining both onshore and offshore approvals is critical to securing the flow of foreign investment and consolidating the UK’s leadership in renewable energy.
Source and photo: Buchan Offshore Wind
