- New proposal takes advantage of technological advances
- Existing consent granted in 2013 remains valid
Inch Cape Offshore Limited (ICOL) has submitted a new application for consent to Marine Scotland to develop an offshore wind farm 15km off the Angus coast. The application and supporting Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) marks another step forward for the project following the launch of a site investigation in July.
ICOL was initially granted permission for the development site and export cable corridor in July 2013. Advances in technology and new learnings across the wind industry since then have allowed the project to identify opportunities to improve design efficiencies and further reduce the risk of potential impacts. While the existing consent remains valid, the team are keen to pursue an alternative proposal that would see fewer, taller and more powerful turbines and a reduced number of export cables that could significantly cut construction time and costs to the end user.
This recent application follows a number of consultation events which took place in Arbroath and St Andrews last year where residents where given an opportunity to learn more about the project and share their feedback. The EIA report is available at various locations across the local community*.
Ian Johnson, ICOL Project Manager, said: “New learnings and technological advances create an opportunity for us to improve on the original proposals. With an approved proposal already under our belt this wasn’t something we were required to do, but felt it was important to integrate new advances where possible and consider what we’ve learnt since our existing consent was granted in 2013 that could further minimise our impacts.
“We look forward to engaging with local communities again to discuss our new proposal and answer any questions they may have”.
*The EIA report will be available at the following locations for public’s perusal:
- Angus Council – Planning, Angus House, Orchardbank Business Park, Forfar DD8 1AN;
- Dundee Council – Planning and Building Control, Floor 6, Dundee House, 50 North Lindsay Street, Dundee, DD1 1LS;
- Fife Council – Enterprise, Planning and Employability Services, Kingdom House, Kingdom Avenue, Glenrothes, KY7 5LY;
- East Lothian Council, John Muir House, Brewery Park, Haddington, East Lothian, EH41 3HA;
- Dunbar Library, Bleachingfield Centre, Dunbar, EH42 1DX;
- Arbroath Library, Hill Terrace, Arbroath, DD11 1AH;
- Port Seton Library, Community Centre, South Seton Park, Port Seton, EH32 0BG; and
- St Andrews Library, Church Square, St Andrews, KY16 9NN.
