Stromar Offshore Wind Farm Limited, a joint venture between Ørsted, BlueFloat Energy, and Renantis, has submitted the environmental impact assessment (EIA) scoping and habitats regulations appraisal (HRA) screening reports for the 1 GW floating offshore wind farm in Scotland.
The reports for the project, which is located approximately 50 kilometres from the Port of Wick, were delivered to the Marine Directorate and Aberdeenshire Council.
The EIA scoping reports outline the plans for the development, addressing both onshore and offshore considerations while the HRA screening reports outline the key protected sites and species of relevance to the Stromar development area. The HRA screening reports also present how impacts will be assessed in more detail at the next stage, the developer said.
The project team will now schedule several community consultation events in Spring 2024 to ensure stakeholders are fully informed and that their views are considered in the site selection, design, and development of the project, according to the developer.
“Submitting the scoping report signifies a major milestone on our journey towards delivering clean and renewable energy in Scotland. We are looking forward to working closely with local communities and all other stakeholders as Stromar progresses through the next stages of development, with a plan to contribute significantly to Scotland’s green energy landscape,” said Nicholas Ritchie , Project Director.
In September 2023, the developers deployed an EOLOS LiDAR buoy at the site to capture data on subjects such as wind speed and direction, ocean currents, tide, atmospheric pressure, and air temperature.
The Stromar floating offshore wind project covers an area of 256 square kilometres and is located in the Moray Firth off the coast of Scotland. The 1 GW Stromar is Ørsted’s first large-scale floating wind development project.