Public consultation feedback form
Buchan Offshore Wind is a new floating offshore wind project with the potential to make a significant contribution to Scotland’s and the UK’s renewable energy ambitions.
A ScotWind project located 75km off the coast of Fraserburgh, it will have up to 70 wind turbines generating around 1GW of clean, green renewable energy.
Buchan Offshore Wind could see more than £1.4bn invested in the UK’s manufacturing sector and supply chain. This has the potential to support over 2,800 jobs in Scotland at the peak of construction and over 400 during operation.
Subsea cables bringing energy from the turbines would come ashore near Rattray Head, and underground cables would then transport the energy to a new project substation in the Peterhead area. This new substation would be connected to the existing transmission network at Peterhead substation, which is operated by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN).
We want to hear your views!
Last year we consulted with local people on our preferred landfall point, onshore cable route options, onshore substation site options, and our planned offshore scheme. We have considered all feedback received and have developed our plans in more detail.
We are now holding a final round of pre-application public consultation to update local people and stakeholders on how our proposals have developed and seek their feedback to help us refine our plans.
Our public consultation runs until Friday 30 May 2025.
You can give us your comments by completing this feedback form
Maps
You can see a map of our preferred cable route and possible substation locations in our project leaflet and on our website.
At this stage, please note that your comments are not representations to the Scottish Ministers or Local Planning Authority. When we make applications for development consent and marine licences/planning permission in future, you will be able to make formal representations to the Scottish Ministers or Local Planning Authority at that stage.
Landfall point
Our preferred option to connect Buchan Offshore Wind to Peterhead is for the subsea cables to come ashore at Rattray, at a point located south of the Loch of Strathbeg Nature Reserve and north of the St Fergus Gas Terminal and its associated offshore pipelines.
We selected this location after careful consideration and appraisal of several sites along the Aberdeenshire Coast, examining environmental constraints, intertidal and onshore infrastructure requirements and engineering and geotechnical constraints.
The landfall area will host up to three transition joint bays where the offshore export cables will be joined on to the onshore underground cables. This would be underground, and the land would be reinstated once construction is complete.
The proposed landfall area near Rattray Head is unchanged from our previous public consultation in 2024.
1. Do you have any comments on our preferred landfall point at Rattray, where the subsea cables would come ashore?
Onshore underground cable route
Our underground cable route heads west from the landfall point, with the option of turning south and crossing the A90 before Keyhead, passing between St Fergus Moss and the St Fergus gas terminal. It continues south, staying west of St Fergus, crosses under the River Ugie and passes between the former RAF Longside airfield and Blackhills before turning south-east to arrive at a new project substation, in the Peterhead area.
The onshore underground cables will be installed within a 100m corridor within the red line boundary for the onshore cable route. The precise corridor will be confirmed following detailed design. Once installed, the cables would be underground and normal farming activity would be able to continue above them.
2. Do you have any comments on our preferred route for the underground cables between Rattray and Peterhead?
Substation location
In November 2024 we consulted local people on two ‘search areas’ for the project substation in the Peterhead area (one near the Score site off the A90 and one slightly further south near Springhill).
Following feedback received, and further technical and environmental assessments, we have now identified the southern search area as our preferred location.
3. Do you have any comments on our preferred substation location?
Our offshore proposal
Our offshore proposal will see up to 70 turbines installed on floating structures that will be moored and anchored to the seabed, approximately 75 km from shore at its closest point. The turbines will not be visible from shore. Offshore export cables bringing energy from the turbines to the landfall point will be buried in the seabed wherever possible.
We have carried out marine environmental and technical assessments, as set out in the Scoping Report issued to the Marine Directorate Licensing Operations Team in September 2023, and continue to engage with fishing industry representatives and other maritime organisations.
4. If you have any comments on our offshore proposals please give them here:
Working with the community
Buchan Offshore Wind is committed to working in partnership with the local community throughout the project to ensure it is delivered in the best way and benefits local people. We are already working with the supply chain in Scotland, but we’re also active in local and regional initiatives including Peterhead FC’s Community Foundation, the Best of Buchan Awards as part of Peterhead Scottish Week, and the University of Highlands and Islands STEM engagement programme.
5. Are there are any projects or initiatives you would like us to know about?
About you
Please tick here if you would like us to keep you updated about our proposals via email
1Was the information useful and what further information would have been helpful?
8. Is there anything else you would like us to consider?
Thank you
Your views are important to us as we develop our proposals. If you have any questions, please contact us:
Website: www.buchanoffshorewind.com
Email: feedback@buchanconsultation.com
Post: You can write to us free of charge at FREEPOST BUCHAN OFFSHORE WIND (no stamp or further address is needed)
Phone: You can call us free of charge on 0800 0129 889
Please note our phoneline is open Monday to Friday 9:00am – 5:30pm; please leave a message outside of these times.
Keeping your details safe
Buchan Offshore Wind is committed to respecting your privacy and will comply with all applicable data protection and privacy laws. We’re consulting you to get your views on our proposals, so we may need to share your information with certain other bodies for the purposes of the consultation and for creating reports. These are: Buchan Offshore Wind parent companies; third party service providers, contractors or advisors who provide services to us; relevant planning authorities.