Floating wind project gets go-ahead

Dounreay Trì has been granted planning consent for the installation of a floating windfarm 9km off the Northern Coast of Scotland by the Scottish government.

The decision means that the facility will achieve the necessary Renewables Obligation accreditation by the end of the month to allow it to proceed.

The prototype facility, which will be constructed at Global Energy Group’s Nigg facility in the Highlands, will see a twin turbine project capable of generating 10MW of electricity built and installed.

The next steps for the project is to formally reach a final investment decision. The project needs to be constructed, installed and commissioned by 30 September 2018 under the terms of the Obligation Certification regime. 

Dounreay Trì was created by Swedish design and engineering company Hexicon for the sole purpose of demonstrating Hexicon’s semi-submersible foundation for offshore wind power, off Dounreay, Scotland

The Dounreay Trì Floating Wind Demonstration Project shall consist of:

• A single semisubmersible platform and two wind turbines with a total capacity of 8-12 MW, about 6km off Dounreay, Scotland; 
• A single export cable to bring the power to shore; and
• The associated onshore electrical infrastructure to connect the Project at, or near, the existing substation at Dounreay.

Engineering house Atkins was appointed engineering partner on the project last year.