ScottishPower and Shell reserve seabed off Scotland for Wind Farm - as Wind turbines set record highs

Shell and Scottish Power have together reserved the seabed off the coast of Scotland for Wind Farms.

The two developments will be able to power millions of homes. The move is among the first commercial-scale floating offshore wind farms anywhere in the world.

Shell and ScottishPower announced they have signed option to lease agreements.

Deal

The deal with Crown Estate Scotland reserves rights for the MarramWind and CampionWind floating offshore wind farms.

MarramWind will be located off the north-east coast in water depths of around 100 metres.

Record

The announcement comes as wind turbines set a new record in the first three months of the year.

Renewable sources overall generated almost as much electricity as gas-fired power stations. This shows the growth of renewables in Britain’s electricity system amid the push to cut carbon emissions.

Paul Verrill, director of EnAppSys, said: “More wind generation was seen this quarter than in any other quarter on record.

"Renewables exceeded aggregate fossil fuel generation for a calendar quarter. This has only ever happened once before, in the first quarter of 2020.”

Increased Capacity

25 gigawatts of wind capacity is now installed over land and in the seabed, compared to less than 5 gigawatts in 2008.

In addition, this is set to rise, with the Government targeting 50 gigawatts by 2030.

One of the newest developments is Orsted’s giant Hornsea Two wind farm 55 miles off the Yorkshire coast. It generated its first power in December and will be fully operational this year.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy revealed UK statistics for wind power. This included Oldham, which produced 406 megawatt-hours of electricity throughout 2020 via its 10 onshore turbines.

Director of EnAppSys, Paul Verrilligel said:

“More wind generation was seen this quarter than in any other quarter on record.

“Renewables exceeded aggregate fossil fuel generation for a calendar quarter. This has only ever happened once before, in the first quarter of 2020.”