Final turbine arrives for Scotland's floating wind farm

The fifth and final turbine has arrived off the north-east coast of Scotland as developers press ahead with the world's first full-scale floating wind farm.

All five turbines are now in place for the Hywind Scotland project. Picture: Statoil

The first of the turbines set sail from Norway on its four-day voyage last month and all have now reached their destination at Buchan Deep, which lies 15 miles off the coast of Peterhead, Aberdeenshire.

• READ MORE: Turbines for first floating wind farm head to Scotland

Final installation at the 30 megawatt Hywind Scotland project is set to be completed in the coming weeks.

The £210 million development is a partnership between Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable power company, and Norwegian energy giant Statoil. The completed project will provide 20,000 homes with electricity.

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Bader Al Lamki, executive director for clean energy at Masdar, said that Hywind Scotland “represents the next stage in the evolution of the offshore wind industry”.

The milestone for the project comes after Peterhead Port Authority recently secured a major contract to harbour one of the world’s largest floating cranes for Vattenfall’s European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC), off Aberdeen Bay.

The deal will see the port moor the crane – which has a maximum lifting capacity of 5,000 tonnes – and up to six barges that will transport foundations for the 11-turbine scheme.

Ian Laidlaw, chief executive of Peterhead Port Authority, said: “Peterhead has been an integral part of the UK’s energy industry for the past 50 years and the EOWDC represents a new chapter in the vital role that the energy sector plays in support the national economy.”

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