Approval Given for Five Offshore Wind Sites in Scotland

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources Europe (Galway, Ireland)--The Crown Estate has approved a five more offshore renewable energy sites with a combined capacity of 5,000 megawatts (MW) in Scottish waters. The total capacity for projects that have been awarded agreements for leases in Scottish waters is now nearly 10,000 MW, which is in line with Scottish government targets.

SSE Renewables (Perth, Scotland), will be awarded two agreements for lease to develop the 690-MW Islay Windfarm off the west coast, and the Beatrice project in the Moray Firth, which is anticipated to be up to 1,000 MW.

ScottishPower Renewables (Glasgow, Scotland) also has secured approval for the Argyll Array windfarm off the west coast, which has a potential of up to 1,800 MW of capacity.

Two further agreements are to be awarded in the Outer Forth and Tay, with Mainstream Renewable Power's (Dublin, Ireland) Neart na Gaoithe windfarm and Inch Cape, which Repsol Nuevas Energias (Madrid, Spain) recently purchased from SeaEnergy Renewables (Aberdeenshire, Scotland), the beneficiaries. For additional information, see June 6, 2011 news article - Five Sites Around Shetland Islands Identified for Offshore Wind Development.

Final consent for each development will be determined by Marine Scotland, which is the regulator.

The Crown Estate's Scottish commissioner, Gareth Baird, said: "The Crown Estate has already invested £16 million in offshore renewable energy in Scotland, and plans to invest another £20 million in the next five years, funding 'enabling actions' such as environmental studies and engagement work that help de-risk the projects and attract investment. We're very pleased to achieve this important milestone, and will continue to work closely with the Scottish government and developers to progress projects and attract investment, with the aim of helping meet Scotland's ambitious targets on renewable energy production."

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