Ocean Winds has submitted the onshore planning consent application for its 2GW Caledonia offshore wind project in the Moray Firth.
The application to Aberdeenshire Council covers the project’s onshore transmission infrastructure, including substations and underground cables.
This includes a proposal to split the project into two phases, Caledonia North and Caledonia South.
Ocean Winds had previously revealed plans for the phased development, with the each having a capacity of between 900MW and 1.1GW.
According to the application, Ocean Winds could make either North or South the first phase of the project.
“This allows flexibility to deploy the most appropriate turbine technology/foundation type (including the option for floating) in Phase 1 thus improving deliverability,” the application stated.
The decision to phase the project was also partly made due to grid constraints, with Caledonia receiving a connection with a maximum capacity of 1.5GW at the New Deer substation, with a new substation at Greens to take the rest.
The first phase, whether North or South, will use New Deer as its connection point. Both phases will make landfall on the Aberdeenshire coast west of Whitehills.
Caledonia onshore consent manager Ruaridh Danaher said: “This is the project’s biggest milestone, coming after three years of work to develop the project and complete the Environmental Impact Assessment. Our intensive investment in the early stages of the project mean that this is high-quality application, based on robust data, reflecting the needs of our stakeholders.
“To enable the project to be considered in full by our stakeholders, the Environmental Impact Assessment report covers both onshore and offshore infrastructure.”
In addition, Ocean Winds expects a consultation on its application for Caledonia’s offshore infrastructure, including turbines, offshore substations and offshore transmission cables, to be opened by Marine Scotland in the coming weeks.
Ocean Winds aims to have the project delivering electricity to the grid by 2030.
The Caledonia offshore wind farm will be based alongside Ocean Winds’ existing projects in the Moray Firth, the operating Moray East and the under-construction Moray West, which achieved first power in July this year.
Project director for Caledonia Mark Baxter added: “Ocean Winds has been investing in the Moray Firth since the commercial dawn of the offshore wind industry in Scotland. This site – neighbouring our existing infrastructure – is in water depths which enables us to use the fixed foundations which we have optimised for low cost, low risk, rapid delivery, and our distance from shore means we can use AC connection technology instead of being at the mercy of global shortages in the HVDC supply chain.
“Caledonia is one of the few ScotWind projects which can be built at high speed and low risk in a location where offshore wind is already established and therefore can be a key component of the UK government’s Clean Power by 2030 plans.”
