This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-26645997
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Massive offshore wind farm in Outer Moray Firth approved | Massive offshore wind farm in Outer Moray Firth approved |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The Scottish government has given the go-ahead to a major offshore wind farm development in the Outer Moray Firth. | The Scottish government has given the go-ahead to a major offshore wind farm development in the Outer Moray Firth. |
| The two neighbouring projects - from Moray Offshore Renewables Limited and Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Limited - involve a total of 326 turbines. | The two neighbouring projects - from Moray Offshore Renewables Limited and Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Limited - involve a total of 326 turbines. |
| The Scottish government said the combined development off the Caithness coast would be the world's third biggest offshore wind farm. | |
| The project could generate electricity for more than a million homes. | The project could generate electricity for more than a million homes. |
| If constructed, the scheme would have more turbines than the 175-turbine London Array. | |
| Work for up to 4,600 people could be created at the peak of the construction of the turbines, and the combined scheme would be worth up to £2.5bn to the Scottish economy. | |
| Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said the consents were subject to strict conditions, which include the need to monitor for impact on wildlife. | |
| Mr Ewing said: "Scotland has the potential to lead the development of an exciting, new renewables industry as offshore wind moves into deeper waters. | |
| "Offshore renewables represent a huge opportunity for Scotland, an opportunity to build up new industries and to deliver on our ambitious renewable energy and carbon reduction targets. | |
| "These wind farms alone could generate gross value worth up to £2.5bn over their lifetime and generate up to 4,600 jobs during peak construction and up to 580 once in operation." | |
| Environment group WWF Scotland has welcomed the government's decision, but said measures would need to be taken to minimise the turbines' impact on the marine environment. | |
| Gina Hanrahan, climate and energy policy officer at WWF Scotland, said: "Climate change is the biggest threat facing our oceans and seas globally, and is already impacting on Scotland's marine environment. | |
| "It is therefore vital that we find ways to harness the clean energy that marine renewables, such as offshore wind, can provide. | |
| "Projects at this scale will also help to reduce costs, generate jobs, and investment opportunities while helping to keep the lights on." | |
| 'New jobs' | |
| Dr Richard Dixon, director of Friends of the Earth Scotland, described the consents as "great news for renewable energy in Scotland". | |
| He added: "These two schemes alone could provide 40% of Scotland's peak power needs on a windy day. | |
| "Offshore wind is relatively new in Scottish waters and these schemes will need careful monitoring as they are built and operated to ensure that the impacts on wildlife are minimised. | |
| "As a global leader, Scotland can create green electricity, reduce climate emissions and generate new jobs." | |
| Scottish Renewables, which represents the renewables industry, said the consents were the first to be granted for a large-scale, combined commercial offshore wind farm in Scotland. | |
| Senior policy manager Lindsay Leask said: "This is a really important step forward for the industry, which has the potential to generate massive amounts of renewable power and support significant numbers of new jobs." | |
| Three months ago, plans for a £5.4bn offshore wind farm off the coast of Tiree in the Inner Hebrides were dropped. | |
| Scottish Power Renewables (SPR) announced it would not proceed with the Argyll Array scheme following technical and environmental site studies. | |
| It would have had up to 300 turbines and a capacity of up to 1800MW, enough to power one million homes. | |
| SPR cited construction issues and "a significant presence" of basking sharks in the area for its decision. | |
| Campaigners against the wind farm welcomed the decision, saying it would have been "an environmental disaster" for Tiree and the west coast of Scotland. |