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.
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.
