Hywind Scotland: Peterhead's floating wind farm records top results for UK three years running

A wind farm off Scotland’s coast has recorded the UK's best results for capturing potential output offshore for a third year in a row.

The Hywind Scotland development – the world’s first floating wind farm about 15 miles (25km) off Peterhead in Aberdeenshire – has reached an average of 57.1 per cent of its potential output over the past year.

During its first two years of operation, the wind farm achieved an average capacity factor – the ratio of actual energy output over a given period of time, to the maximum possible output – of 54 per cent.

This year’s record figure compares to the UK’s average capacity factor of about 40 per cent.

Hywind Tampen floating wind farm in Norway picture: Illustration/Equinor.

Sebastian Bringsværd, head of floating wind development at Norwegian firm Equinor, which runs the project, said: “It’s great to see the results Hywind Scotland and the floating technology keeps delivering.

"The potential for floating offshore wind is huge."

He said with access to deeper waters and therefore higher and more consistent wind speeds, floating offshore is not only an efficient way to generate electricity from wind, but it also provides jobs.

He added: “In the UK alone, we are talking at least 17,000 jobs and £33bn GVA by 2050.

"We believe Scotland has the potential to build a globally competitive offshore wind industry, including a real chance to enhance the development of floating offshore wind.”

The five giant wind turbines that make up the Hywind Scotland reach 175m (574ft) from sea surface to blade tip making them almost as tall as the Queensferry Crossing.

The wind farm started generating electricity in 2017.

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