Oil city hopes to harness the wind

The wind farm, which will be half a mile from land, will also be linked to a flagship Energy Futures Centre in the city.

The plan was revealed by Kate Dean, the leader of Aberdeen City Council, yesterday, but she stressed the "jury was still out" on the proposal, put forward by the Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG).

A study into the feasibility and environmental impact of the project is required as part of the process of building a wind farm, and Ms Dean said the council will reserve judgment on the matter until the study is complete.

She said: "I can assure every citizen that this aspect will be fully evaluated.

"There will be reservations voiced on this aspect and we will want to see the detailed studies before coming to a firm conclusion."

The centre and the turbines are designed to underpin the city’s place as Europe’s energy capital and its commitment to the development of renewable energy.

An area for the wind farm has already been earmarked, running through shallow waters from the north of the Aberdeen Harbour entrance to Blackdog Rock.

The eight-kilometre stretch can accommodate 20 two-megawatt turbines, according to AREG.

The Energy Futures Centre is planned to be built on a 6.5-acre site on the Queen’s Links. The group hopes to build the centre incorporating four main elements, a state-of-the-art visitor attraction on the theme of energy, an area for renewable energy electricity generation and demonstration projects, offices to house an international development hub and incubator units for new and young businesses.

AREG, which is made up of 40 leading oil and gas companies with an interest in renewable energy, research institutes and public bodies, including the city council, intends the centre to be powered by the offshore wind farm, which would be a "demonstration of Aberdeen’s commitment to clean energy as well as providing a substantial income stream for its future sustainability".

Ms Dean said: "If Aberdeen wants to maintain activity in energy at its highest possible level, it must take a strategic approach. This means the city must, in the face of considerable competition, maintain and build upon its status as a global energy capital.

"If this is not done, Aberdeen faces the prospect of the major focus moving elsewhere. The city council is therefore committed to the promotion and development of Aberdeen as an international energy capital."

Ms Dean added that the council will meet next week to reserve a prime beachfront site it owns for the centre, to enable the study to be completed.

Jeremy Cresswell, the AREG chairman, said: "The boldness of the Energy Futures Centre and wind-farm proposal will doubtless surprise, but this is the kind of forward-looking, imaginative project that Aberdeen needs, both to help sustain jobs and the city’s role as Europe’s energy capital. The Energy Futures Centre is designed to be commercial yet also be a readily accessible public showcase for energy in its many forms. It will help to anchor the fantastic expertise that is resident in this city and must not be lost.

"The wind farm would be a clear demonstration of how that expertise can be harnessed for new generation energies, as well as providing a valuable alternative source of energy for many thousands of homes.

"Energy underpins all our lives and we have become used to the North Sea satisfying most of that demand. But it is forecast that, within a few years, Britain will become oil and gas deficient, which is why it is important to embrace renewable energies now."