The government of Scotland has approved the development of an offshore wind facility by Aberdeen Offshore Wind Farm (AOWFL) in Aberdeen Bay.
The 100MW European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC) comprising 11 wind turbines caters to power needs of 49,000 local homes.
AOWFL has made an application to marine Scotland seeking approval in August 2011, when the government body undertook two stage formal public consultation process.
The approval was granted after 19 months. Socttish Energy, Enterprise and Tourism Minister Fergus Ewing said that the project will support the country to further its technologies and accelerate growth.
“The Centre will also generate up to 100 MW, enough electricity to meet the electricity needs of almost half the homes in Aberdeen City. It secures Aberdeen’s place as the energy capital of Europe,” added Ewing.
The project is being developed by a consortium consisting Vattenfall Wind Power (VWPL), Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG) and Technip UK through AOWFL.
Meanwhile, the federal government is committed to the sustainable development of an offshore wind industry, which is expected to generate £7bn to its economy besides creating 28,000 direct jobs and a further 20,000 indirect jobs by 2020.
The consortium developing the center has also received funds of €40m under the European Energy Program to finance the project.