The director of the Kincardine Offshore Floating Wind Farm said yesterday that the project would generate first power by next week.
Outlining the development at a floating wind conference in Aberdeen, Allan MacAskill added that the floating wind farm would be the biggest in the world, when completed in 2020.
The development is situated 15 kilometres offshore between Stonehaven and Aberdeen. The first turbine was assembled in Dundee.
Mr MacAskill said the project, 60% backed by a subsidiary company owned by Real Madrid chairman Florentino Perez, will cost “about £350 million”, £100m more than previously reported.
Run by Pilot Offshore Renewables, the wind farm was initially expected to cost £250m back in 2016, but will now cost closer to £500m.
Mr MacAskill revealed the development would require £350m to build, with lifetime operational expenditure likely to be “about an additional £150m”.
The project director also announced the remaining turbines would “likely be installed in the Cromarty Firth”.
Mr MacAskill said: “This type of project has never been done before. We’re in the final stages of installing the first machine.
“Hopefully by the end of next week first generation will occur and in the the early part of 2020 we’ll be installing a further five 9.5 megawatt (MW) turbines.
“All in, this windfarm will be about 49 megawatts. When finished it will be the biggest floating windfarm in the world.”
The development plan for the Kincardine test and demonstration project originally envisaged the installation of eight turbines, but a variance applied for last year has seen that total drop to seven.
At two megawatts, the first turbine to be connected is less powerful than the six larger units which will follow.
They will be among the most powerful turbines in the world, with a potential rating of up to 9.5MW each.
In total, the Kincardine development is expected to produce enough power for 56,000 homes.
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