The Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) offshore wind farm – which will benefit the Port of Dundee – has taken another step forward.
Scottish Borders Council’s (SBC) planning committee today approved plans for an operations and maintenance building in Eyemouth.
A significant milestone for NnG, jointly owned by EDF Renewables and ESB, this development sees Eyemouth Harbour move a step closer to housing the operations and maintenance base.
The planning permission is for a new, three storey, 1,040 square metre main building and a two storey, 538 square metre storage warehouse.
All of the Neart Na Gaoithe’s 54 turbines will be assembled at the Port of Dundee.
Meanwhile, Fife-based BiFab will build “at least” eight foundation jackets – used to anchor the turbines to the seabed.
The wind farm, located in the Firth of Forth, will supply enough energy to power 375,000 homes.
The investment in Eyemouth will bring an economic boost to the area providing up to 50 permanent jobs over the 25-year lifespan of the project.
Additional benefits would see training, retraining and apprenticeship opportunities available to the residents of Eyemouth and the surrounding area.
NnG has a capacity of around 450 megawatts (MW) of low carbon energy and will offset over 400,000 tonnes of Co2 emissions each year.
Matthias Haag, NnG project director, said: “Having worked so closely with the Eyemouth Harbour Trust on the details of this proposal I am very pleased that Scottish Borders Council has approved the plans for our O&M base at Eyemouth Harbour.
“We need an O&M base for the 25-year lifespan of NnG which brings with it fantastic socio-economic benefits for the town of Eyemouth and the local community.
“Today’s announcement is a significant next step towards NnG’s O&M facility being based in the town.”
Christine Bell, Eyemouth Harbour Trust business manager, added: “Today’s decision by SBC is warmly welcomed by Eyemouth Harbour Trust.
“We have been working closely with the NnG project team to achieve this goal. It’s another positive and significant step towards regeneration opportunities being realised in Eyemouth.”
Onshore construction continues for NnG at various locations along the cable route which runs underground from Thorntonloch beach and up into the Lammermuir Hills.
Offshore work started in August with seabed preparations carried out in advance of the pile casings being installed.
