Latest news with #CrownEstateScotland
BBC News
5 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Up to 110 offshore wind turbines planned for site off Cape Wrath
An offshore wind farm with up to 110 turbines is planned for a site 17 miles (27km) north west of Cape Wrath in the Wind Farm has been proposed by Canadian energy company Northland Power and Irish state-owned energy firm Scottish government's Marine Directorate is expected to start consulting on the development after receiving an offshore scoping report from the proposed site was previously identified for offshore wind developments by Crown Estate Scotland. Havbredey is a Norse name that translates as "Isles on the edge of the sea", according to Northland floating wind farm would involve turbines on platforms which would be anchored to the 1.5GW farm would be in water depths of 75 to 116m (246-380ft), with the turbines having a maximum blade tip height of 385m (1,263ft).
Scotsman
13-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Scotland's offshore wind ambitions are at an inflection point
The factors that led to Orsted ditching plans for a giant wind farm off the Yorkshire coast apply to Scotland too, writes Jeremy Grant Sign up to our Scotsman Money newsletter, covering all you need to know to help manage your money. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... When delegates gather in Glasgow this week for the 'All-Energy' conference – billed by its organisers as the UK's largest low-carbon energy and renewables event – those from Scotland's offshore wind sector will arrive feeling apprehensive. Three years ago, Crown Estate Scotland (CES) kicked off one of the world's largest pipelines of offshore wind projects, known as ScotWind, by awarding option agreements that can be turned into leases to build and operate wind farms. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Projects were scoped out amid a tailwind of optimism about the potential for offshore wind to power millions of homes. But recently that has been replaced by headwinds that expose the hubris in the industry's initial ambition for Scotland's offshore wind potential. Fixed-bottom wind farms are commercially proven, unlike floating turbines in deep waters (Picture:) Last week, Danish offshore wind giant Orsted made the shock announcement that it would discontinue Hornsea 4, one of the UK's largest offshore wind farms. It blamed increased supply chain costs, inflation and heightened risk. Don't be tempted to assume this is an English problem, given that Hornsea 4 is off the Yorkshire coast. This was a wider market signal. Most of the factors that led arguably the world's specialist in offshore wind to cancel a 2.4-gigawatt project in England are the same faced by Scottish projects of a similar scale such as Ossian, a 2.6GW ScotWind project owned by SSE Renewables, Marubeni of Japan and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Others include zonal pricing, a scheme under consideration by the UK Government that would divide the UK into regions, with local demand and supply factors setting prices. Advocates argue it would help smooth out the cost of paying to curtail wind output in Scotland when the grid cannot cope while opponents, including industry group Scottish Renewables, say it would create a 'postcode lottery' for energy bills and increase the cost of investing in renewable energy projects. Jeremy Grant is a freelance writer and former Financial Times journalist Another is the fact that 60 per cent of ScotWind envisages vast floating wind farms in deep waters. This is commercially unproven, unlike the fixed-bottom wind farms that you see dotted on ocean horizons now. Not all the news is bad. A day after Orsted's bombshell, Spanish energy group Iberdrola, owner of ScottishPower, said it had received a £600 million loan from the UK's National Wealth Fund to build two subsea transmission cables linking Scotland with England. Last month, the UK government made available £300 million in grant funding through GB Energy for businesses prepared to make long-term investments in building a UK offshore wind supply chain. Yet the feeling that we are at an inflection point is inescapable. I understand that some ScotWind developers have asked CES to extent their current ten-year option agreements by a further five, because current market conditions mean they can't meet their original targets. Other ScotWind investors may look to sell out of projects, now that a lock-up period preventing such exits ended last month. Shell and bp's retreat from renewables means their ScotWind projects look vulnerable. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In Glasgow, Chris Stark – a key figure in energy secretary Ed Miliband's team – is expected to give an update on the UK government's plan for 'Clean Power 2030'. Expect standing room only.
Scotsman
23-04-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Warma UK secures important solar installation contract with Crown Estate Scotland
Renewable energy specialists Warma UK has been awarded a new contract by Crown Estate Scotland to install solar energy systems across its rural estate as part of the Solar North Phase 1 programme. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The project will see the installation of Solar PV, Hot Water Diverters, Electric Vehicle (EV) Chargers, and Battery Storage, along with a three-year servicing package to improve energy efficiency in 10 direct-let residential farmhouses and cottages. Managed by Strutt & Parker on behalf of Crown Estate Scotland, the project aligns with Crown Estate Scotland's commitment to reducing carbon emissions, lowering energy costs, and encouraging the use of green energy use across the rural properties which it manages. Accelerating Scotland's Clean Energy Transition Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Solar panels being fitted to a cottage managed by Crown Estates Scotland Crown Estate Scotland plays a key role in investing in energy-efficient solutions to support businesses, communities, and rural landowners. The Solar North Phase 1 programme will help modernise these 10 farmhouses and cottage, enhancing their energy security, lowering their operational costs, and reducing the carbon footprint of Crown Estate Scotland's rural properties. Mike Cornish, Operations Director at Warma UK, commented: "This contract is an exciting step forward for Warma UK, and we're delighted to be working with Crown Estate Scotland to deliver tangible environmental and financial benefits. 'By integrating solar PV, battery storage, and EV charging into rural properties, we're helping land managers like Crown Estate Scotland to future-proof their energy supply while making meaningful progress towards Scotland's renewable energy ambitions.' Oster Milambo, Director of Property for Crown Estate Scotland, added: "This is a key step towards improving the energy efficiency of rural buildings which we manage. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'By working with Warma UK, we are ensuring that tenants in these 10 properties on rural estates which we manage benefit from expertly designed and installed renewable energy systems that will provide long-term energy savings, energy security, and reduce environmental impact." Driving Long-Term Energy Benefits The rollout of these solar energy solutions is expected to deliver substantial carbon savings while making rural properties more self-sufficient when it comes to power and heating. With Warma UK providing a three-year servicing package, these installations will be maintained for maximum efficiency and longevity.
