World's Largest Floating Wind Farm To Be Built Off Peterhead Coast
The world's biggest floating wind farm is to be built off the coast of Peterhead.
Ministers have given the green light to Statoil's plans for six turbines attached to the seabed.
If all goes ahead, construction on the Hywind could begin before the end of the year.
Once completed it could power up to 19,900 homes.
The turbines will transport electricity via an export cable from the pilot park to the shore at Peterhead just over 15 miles (25km) away.
Welcoming Statoil’s Hywind development after granting consent, Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “Hywind is a hugely exciting project – in terms of electricity generation and technology innovation – and it’s a real testament to our energy sector expertise and skilled workforce that Statoil chose Scotland for the world’s largest floating wind farm. “The momentum is building around the potential for floating offshore wind technology to unlock deeper water sites. The ability to leverage existing infrastructure and supply chain capabilities from the offshore oil and gas industry create the ideal conditions to position Scotland as a world leader in floating wind technology.”