Highland Council has granted planning consent for the onshore infrastructure of the Ayre floating offshore wind farm in Scotland, developed by French renewable energy company Qair.
Qair acquired full ownership of the 1 GW floating wind project from its partners in the Thistle Wind Partners (TWP) joint venture in November 2025, a few months after TWP submitted an application for the onshore planning consent.
The approved application covers the onshore transmission infrastructure required to connect the offshore wind farm to the national electricity network, including a cable landfall, underground cable circuits, a new onshore substation and associated infrastructure connecting to the transmission network in the Spittal area of Caithness, the developer said on 12 March.
The offshore wind farm is planned to be built to the east of Orkney and north-east of Caithness.
The offshore application, which Qair submitted to the Marine Directorate in December 2025, seeks consent for a floating wind farm that would comprise up to 67 wind turbines and have an installed capacity of approximately 1,008 MW.
Subject to securing the remaining consents, construction of the project is anticipated to begin around 2030, according to the developer.
“The onshore planning consent moves us a significant step closer to delivering clean energy at scale from the north of Scotland, while also contributing to UK government targets” , said Ewan Walker , Ayre Offshore Wind Farm Project Director.
“The project is expected to create opportunities for local supply chains and skilled jobs across the region during both construction and long-term operations. We remain committed to working closely with local communities, stakeholders and supply chain partners to deliver this project.”