ONE of the largest floating offshore wind projects in the world has taken a step closer to becoming a reality with the submission of the consent application for its offshore array to the Scottish Government.
The Ossian project is being co-developed off the east coast of Scotland by a partnership comprising leading Scottish renewable energy developer, SSE Renewables, Japanese conglomerate Marubeni Corporation and Danish fund management company Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners.
At up to 3.6GW of installed capacity, Ossian would be among the largest floating offshore wind farms globally. Once operational, it would be capable of generating enough clean, renewable energy to power up to six million homes annually.
Extensive consultation and investigation work has taken place over the past three years to assess the project’s 858 sq km site, which sits 84km off the Aberdeenshire coast.
(Image: Ossian)
Development lead Rich Morris said: “We have submitted a comprehensive environmental impact assessment report to the Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate, and we’re committed to continuing engagement with the statutory consultees and wider stakeholder community.
“We are confident this submission will support the timely delivery of the UK’s largest floating offshore wind farm, ensuring Ossian is ready to take full advantage of ongoing grid reforms and National Grid ESO’s move to a ‘first ready, first connected’ model. We have worked hard to reach this significant milestone.”
Ossian has consulted with regulatory and industry bodies across nature conservation, fisheries, aviation and shipping and navigation to ensure the application is reflective of their views.
Extensive surveys have also gathered large amounts of data relating to the wind farm array. This includes Ossian’s collaboration with other ScotWind developers to document the habits of bird populations in the wider North Sea region. The survey involved aircraft collecting high-definition images across an 11,550sq km area in the North Sea.
A year-long data gathering campaign collecting information relating to wave height, currents, tides, and sediment movements was concluded earlier this year. The data and samples provided are crucial to understanding the engineering properties of the seabed across the vast site.
Copies of the report will be available to view at libraries in Stonehaven, Carnoustie and Dunbar from July 23 as part of a public consultation. It can also be viewed online at marine.gov.scot/node/23264.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel