The windfarm that has enraged US business tycoon Donald Trump could help cut the cost of renewable energy production by £45billion, according to its developer.
Mr Trump is bankrolling a campaign to scrap an 11-turbine test site off Aberdeen Bay, near his luxury golf resort at Menie on the Aberdeenshire coastline.
Developer Vattenfall told Holyrood’s economy, energy and tourism committee that sites such as its European offshore wind deployment centre are urgently required to meet the UK’s renewable energy targets.
“They could see gross value added to the UK economy of £7billion and a cumulative cost-reduction impact of £45billion for the whole offshore wind sector in UK waters by 2050,” said Jason Ormiston, the firm’s head of public and regulatory affairs.
He was backed by Welsh developer West Coast Energy which said research and development is vital to convince sceptical investors such as Citigroup’s Peter Atherton that the technology works.
Mr Atherton said last week Scotland’s renewables targets are “borderline fantasy”.
West Coast Energy planning and development director Steve Salt said: “Industry and companies like ours need access to world-class test facilities to give investors like Citigroup and others confidence that these technologies will actually work.”
Both Mr Ormiston and Mr Salt praised the leadership of successive Holyrood administrations but said renewables are under threat by local planners and “rogue” conservation officers that give undue weight to “minority” views.
Mr Salt said: “We are a Welsh-based company but we have chosen to develop and invest in Scotland because there is strong leadership.”
Mr Salt said conservation bodies such as Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Historic Scotland are largely on board with the renewables targets.
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