Buchan Offshore Wind has welcomed the decision by Aberdeenshire Council to grant planning consent for its onshore infrastructure, marking a major milestone in the delivery of one of Scotland’s most significant floating offshore wind projects.
The decision was taken by councillors at a meeting of the local authority’s Infrastructure Services Committee on 14 May, and relates to the application for Planning Permission in Principle for the onshore electrical infrastructure required to connect the multi-billion-pound energy project to the national electricity transmission network at the existing Peterhead substation.
The application comprises key onshore project components including a landfall on the Aberdeenshire coast at Rattray Head and an approximately 20 km underground cable route south to a new project substation located close to Peterhead Sub-station.
Buchan Offshore Wind is developing a floating offshore wind farm located around 75 km north east of Fraserburgh, with a capacity close to 1 GW. Once operational, the project has the potential to generate enough secure, stable homegrown energy to power around one million homes, contributing significantly to the UK’s long-term energy security.
Project Director, Clare Lavelle, said: “We welcome this timely determination by Aberdeenshire Council, which represents another significant step forward for Buchan Offshore Wind. Securing consent for our onshore infrastructure reflects the careful design work and extensive engagement undertaken to reduce environmental impacts while enabling this major renewable energy project to connect to the grid.
“This project has the potential to be an anchor for large scale manufacturing in Scotland, supporting thousands of new jobs and unlocking substantial investment in the supply chain, while delivering homegrown energy at scale for years to come.”
The project has set out an ambitious development timetable and a commitment to manufacturing in Scotland. Development of Buchan Offshore Wind is projected to see more than £900 million invested in Scotland’s manufacturing sector and supply chain, supporting around 2900 jobs at the peak of construction, close to 300 long term roles during operation and maintenance and delivering more than £2 billion in lifetime economic value to Scotland.
These benefits are expected to be felt across Aberdeenshire, the north east, and the Highlands – including the region’s ports and harbours, which will play a key role in construction and a long-term role in the operation and maintenance of the project.
The project has identified BW Ideol’s patented Damping Pool® floating substructure as its preferred foundation option. BW Ideol has an exclusivity agreement in place with the Ardersier Energy Transition Facility on the Moray Firth and is working actively on establishing a new manufacturing facility for the serial production of floating concrete foundations at the former oil and gas fabrication yard on the Moray Firth.
An offshore consent application for the floating offshore wind farm was submitted to the Scottish government in August 2025 and determination is anticipated later in the year.
“Securing timely offshore and onshore consents is critical to unlocking the significant inward investment this transformative project will generate. By paving the way for the manufacture of Scotland’s first concrete floating foundations the project will contribute to the wider development of industrial capability and the Scottish floating offshore wind supply chain.
“We will continue to work constructively with the Scottish government to achieve determination for our offshore consent application, allowing us to move further towards realising the significant economic benefits that our project will bring to Scotland and the rest of the UK,” Lavelle concluded.
The onshore proposals were shaped by robust site selection studies, detailed environmental assessments and an extensive programme of community, landowner and stakeholder engagement carried out over more than three years. All onshore cables will be installed underground, and once construction is complete the land will be reinstated.
During development, the project team hosted nine public consultation events in Peterhead, Fraserburgh and surrounding areas, engaging with residents, landowners, businesses and organisations to help inform the final design and ensure regional priorities were reflected in the proposals.
The Buchan Offshore Wind team will now progress the next stages of development and consenting, while continuing to engage as plans move forward. The project is targeting connection to the grid in the early 2030s.
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