Our aim is to develop a project that balances the delivery of the project with the aim of reducing potential effects on the environment and communities.
A joint venture between BayWa r.e, Elicio and BW Ideol, Buchan Offshore Wind was awarded its site through the ScotWind leasing process launched by Crown Estate Scotland (CES) to facilitate the expansion of offshore wind in Scotland.
ScotWind was delivered in response to the Scottish Government's target of net-zero emissions of all greenhouse gases by 2045 and the aim to generate 50% of Scotland's overall energy consumption from renewable sources by 2030. Buchan Offshore Wind was awarded ScotWind NE8 Plan Option, which covers an area of 330 km2.
Floating offshore technology
The wind turbines will be fixed to floating barges which will be moored and anchored to the seabed. The preferred design at present is the BW Ideol's Damping Pool technology, which has already been successfully installed since 2018 off the coasts of France and Japan.
The serial production of foundations and turbine assembly is intended to take place in Scotland at the Port of Ardersier.
Offshore substations
Offshore substations will collect energy generated by the turbines for transmission via subsea cables and potentially an offshore intermediate reactive compensation (IRC) platform (which will be located approximately half-way along the cable corridor route), to a landfall location at Rattray, on the Aberdeenshire coast.
Onshore connection
At landfall the subsea cables will enter a transition joint bay, and then onshore underground cables will transport the electricity to the project's substation, near Peterhead. Here it will be converted to 400kV (400,000 volts) for onward transmission via underground cables to join the national transmission network at SSEN's existing Peterhead substation.
