The developers of the 1GW Buchan floating offshore wind farm have proposed bringing the project’s export cable ashore between Rattray Head and the St Fergus gas terminal.
Buchan Offshore Wind, a joint venture between BayWa, Elicio, and BW Ideol, laid out the project’s preferred export cable route in the Onshore Scoping Report, which it submitted to Aberdeenshire Council.
The report envisions a 21km corridor of potential routes for the underground onshore cable, which runs west from Rattray before heading south and passing to the west of Peterhead.
The onshore cable will connect to one of two potential locations for the project’s onshore substation close to the existing SSEN Transmission substation to the southwest of Peterhead, where the project will connect to the national electricity transmission network.
The project will use up to three 275kV offshore export cable circuits connecting to the onshore substation, with up to three onshore cable circuits to be laid underground from the landfall area to the project’s onshore substation, which will transform the voltage up to a maximum of 400kV.
The purpose of the Onshore Scoping Report is to support a written request for a formal Scoping Opinion from Aberdeenshire Council, with details of the onshore development to be refined through the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process.
Buchan Offshore Wind has already received its Offshore Scoping Opinion after submitting its Offshore Scoping Report in September 2023. The project is working towards an application for consent in 2025.
The next steps will see stakeholders provide feedback on the surveys the project intends to complete and the methodologies to be used. The Buchan team will be holding further public exhibitions after the summer.
Buchan Offshore Wind head of consents Ian Simms commented: “We have developed proposals that will minimise local impacts and fit with the existing energy infrastructure in the area. Submission of our Onshore Scoping Report is another important step forward for the project, which would, of course, make a meaningful contribution to Scottish and UK climate change and renewable energy targets.
“We look forward to engaging with local stakeholders again prior to submitting our planning application next year.”
The commencement of scoping follows last week’s announcement that Clare Lavelle will be taking on the role of Project Director when Alasdair MacLeod steps down later this summer.
Buchan was awarded as part of the ScotWind Leasing Round in January 2022 The project will be based in an area of 330 sq km around 75km north-east of Fraserburgh.
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