Wind turbines off the coast of Aberdeen will now turn for a quarter of a century after an application to prolong the life of the renewable energy development was a granted by officials yesterday.
The 11-turbine Aberdeen Bay wind test facility – also known as the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre – was given consent to generate power for 25 years, an increase on its initial application of 22 years first granted in 2013.
The application was made by the wind farms Swedish operator Vattenfall.
Vattenfall said the extension would benefit the north-east and Scottish economy and prolong local jobs.
The operator originally intended to apply for a 25-year consent based on the lifespan of the wind farm’s components, and the new application was addressing a “discrepancy with the original lease”.
The decision by ministers and Marine Scotland yesterday concluded that the extension proposals would not “fundamentally alter the character or scale of the development”.
Marine Scotland added that it expected all turbine components would meet the life expectancy of the 25-year period.
Only one objection to the plans was made by a salmon fishing firm based in Blackdog.
A Vattenfall spokeswoman said: “The extension of the operating life of the wind farm will deliver a boost to local jobs, businesses and the generation of more fossil free electricity.”
Aberdeen Bay Wind Farm, which sits around a mile and a half off the coast of the Granite City, generates £150,000 in community each year for the local area.
The site has the potential to power 80,000 homes and generate the equivalent of 70% of Aberdeen’s domestic electricity demand.
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