Windfarm project back on table after challenge

Developer admits proposal to construct 918ft-tall turbines off Angus coast

Up to 120 offshore wind turbines nearly the height of the Eiffel Tower look set for construction off the Angus coast.

The project is back on the table after a bitter and lengthy legal battle that went all the way to the Supreme Court when the RSPB sought a judicial review into the decision.

The project has also been dogged by concerns about the visual impact of the turbines, as well as fears that it may affect the fishing industry and lobster numbers.

Seagreen Wind Energy, the consortium behind the project, argued it will seek to address public concerns.

These include fears about safety for fishing vessels, the adverse impacts on commercially exploited fish, recreational fish and shellfish populations and access to traditional fishing grounds.

At a well-attended public exhibition at Arbroath’s Community Centre, revised plans for the project showed a proposed increase in generating capacity across the project, from 1,050MW, to around 1,500MW.

Although there will potentially be fewer turbines, the new, substantially sized ones come in at up to 918ft to the tip of the blade, dwarfing the Bell Rock lighthouse, which stands at 115ft, with a rotor diameter stretching to 722ft.

However, the application from Seagreen Wind Energy to vary the existing consents may be premature.

It has emerged the 15MW wind turbines are not yet on the market anywhere in the world, with some of the highest capacities being just 9.5MW.

A spokesperson for Seagreen Wind Energy said: “What we are seeking to do is future proof the project and this application to vary the consents takes into account the astonishing rate of technological development in the renewable industry.”

The supply chain elements of the project are highlighted, such as the need for port facilities and fabrication areas, but there are no guarantees that the work will be allocated locally.

Material requirements make an impressive shopping list, with 250,000 tonnes of steel foundations, 435 miles medium voltage array cable and 81 miles of high voltage cable, as well as transformers, switchgear and substations and of course, the turbines themselves.

In 2013, fears were expressed that the sea view towards the Bell Rock lighthouse would see the 200-year-old structure dwarfed by turbines 5.5 times its size.

In July 2016, Lord Stewart heard the RSPB’s concerns about the impact on migratory wild bird species and their protected habitat population, including Atlantic puffins, northern gannets, black-legged kittiwakes, guillemots and razorbills.

The judge held that the Scottish ministers had failed to comply with regulations and failed to consult on environmental information about the projects and made their decision “unlawfully” taking account of information without consultation.

“What we are seeking to do is future proof the project and this application to vary the consents takes into account the astonishing rate of technological development in the renewable industry

The proposed offshore wind turbines will be almost as tall as the Eiffel Tower.