Proposals to update the design of SSE’s Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm, reflecting developments in technology, have taken another important step forward after Angus Council raised no objection.
In its response to Marine Scotland on 9th January 2019, Angus Council’s Planning & Communities Service Leader Kate Cowey provided the following summary on the Seagreen proposals:
“It is concluded that the impacts of the proposed Seagreen Alpha and Bravo offshore wind farms, in terms of material considerations relevant to Angus Council administrative area, do not raise any new or significant issues. The comments provided previously by Angus Council on the original Section 36 application still remain relevant. Angus Council does not object to this application.”
Commenting, SSE’s Lead Consent Manager Heather Donald, said:
“The revised Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm plans represent one of the largest construction opportunities in the UK and it is welcome news that Angus Council has raised no objection to the project.
“As a company headquartered in Tayside, we want to work with Angus Council and surrounding local authorities to ensure that the economic benefits of Seagreen are fully realised in the local area as much as possible.
“SSE is proud to be bringing forward proposals that, if given the go ahead, will produce enough clean renewable energy for the equivalent of 1.2 million homes - nearly half of all of Scotland’s households*.”
SSE is currently seeking amendments to the consented Seagreen project in order to utilise the latest offshore wind turbine technology which has developed since the project’s original consent in 2014.
The amended plans would see fewer, larger, higher capacity wind turbines - reducing the number of turbines from 150 to 120 and increasing the potential capacity to approximately 1,500MW. Located 27km off the Angus coast at its closest point, these revised plans for Seagreen are expected to generate enough clean, renewable energy to power up to 1.2 million homes.
The project would be one of the largest projects in Scotland, creating hundreds of jobs during construction, and the estimated lifetime expenditure of the project is approximately £5.7 billion. If the new optimised proposals are given the go ahead, they are expected to support up to 410 jobs annually in the UK, with around 320 of those jobs being supported in Scotland throughout the 25-year operational lifetime of the project.
SSE is committed to establishing a community benefit package for Seagreen and will work closely with local communities, groups and businesses to maximise the potential local socio-economic benefits. SSE is also committed to working with local colleges and supporting apprenticeships to develop the workforce for the future and to provide a pathway for school leavers into the offshore wind and energy sector.
* In 2017, there were 2.46million households in Scotland - source: