Donald Trump Fights Scottish Windfarm

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland) - U.S. billionaire Donald Trump has taken his fight against a Scottish windfarm to court claiming the Scottish government had no legal right to grant it permission.

Trump's high profile protest against the construction of the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre, went before a judicial review this week and is set to last four days at the Court of Session in Edinburgh. Trump claims the turbines will spoil the view from his coastal golf course and planned luxury resort.

The Centre, which will be Europe's largest planned testing centre for next generation offshore turbines, will have 11 turbines erected and connected to the grid. Located between 2 kilometers (km) and 4.5km from the coast of Aberdeen, they will have a combined generating capacity of up to 100-megawatts (MW) and produce enough power for approximately 49,000 homes. However, earlier this year Trump, who is in the process of constructing a massive hotel, golf and housing development on the nearby Menie Estate in Aberdeen, postponed investing a further €895 million ($1.17 billion) after the Scottish government gave the go ahead for the test centre. For additional information, see March 28, 2013, article - Donald 'Trumped' by Scottish Windfarm.

Trump's legal team argued that "the cart was put before the horse" by granting consent without a licence to generate electricity in place. They also argued that the failure of government officials to visit the golf resort was among a number of factors that suggest the government was biased in favour of the project.

The government's legal representation refuted claims of bias and allegations of any financial involvement in the project.

Swedish energy company, Vattenfall AB (Stockholm, Sweden), is constructing the centre with the aid of Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG) and Technip. However, in May this year, the company announced that it has decided to reduce its stake in the operation. Vattenfall has already invested around €6 million ($7.6 million) into the project, which is expected to cost in excess of €270 million ($350 million) to complete. For additional information, see May 14, 2013, article - Vattenfall 'Shrinks' Share in European Offshore Test Centre.

At the time Trump declared to STV: "They [Vattenfall] are out of this project, they can't afford this project, this project will lose £25 million a year, and no investor will be stupid enough to invest in it. This is going to cost £25 million a year and, at the end of five years, you will have to replace every one of these windmills, because they are going to rot to hell in the North Sea."

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