Location Firth of Forth Type Offshore Rotor diameter 154 m | Status Proposed Distance from shore 20 km (12 mi) | |
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Country Scotland, United Kingdom Owner Mainstream Renewable Power | ||
Neart Na Gaoithe ("strength of the wind" in Gaelic) is a proposed a £1.4bn offshore wind farm with a potential capacity of 450 MW in the outer Firth of Forth, 30 km north of Torness. It is being developed by Mainstream Renewable Power.
Planning
Mainstream Renewable Power was awarded exclusive rights to develop the wind farm in February 2009. They proposed using 125 3.6MW turbines or 75 6MW turbines to generate between 420 and 450 megawatts of electricity. In 2011, surveyors conducting a detailed preparatory survey of the sea floor published sonar images of the wrecks of the two submarines – K-4 and K-17 – sunk during the Battle of May Island in 1918.
A planning application was submitted in July 2012. The developers said that the wind farm would occupy an area of around 65 square miles, would require between 64 and 125 turbines, and would generate 450MW of electricity. The estimated cost was £1.4 billion.
In February 2014 they confirmed that they would be using 75 Siemens SWT-6.0-154 turbines each with a 6 megawatt capacity. A UK government contract was awarded in February 2015. Construction is expected to begin in 2015.
In January 2015 the RSPB submitted a legal challenge citing concerns over the impact on seabirds. The case was heard at the Court of Session in Edinburgh in May 2015.