Nearly 1,000 new wind turbines could be erected off the Scottish coast under a new round of contracts awarded by the Crown Estate.
An announcement this morning will confirm that offshore wind rights have been awarded in the Moray Firth and Firth of Forth.
The two projects are among nine around the British coast awarded by the Crown Estate, which owns the UK coastal seabed.
As reported in yesterday’s Press and Journal, a consortium of EDP Renewables, SeaEnergy and EDP Renovaveis is to get rights to harness the power of the wind for renewable energy in the Moray Firth.
Another joint venture by SeaGreen Wind Energy, Airtricity and Fluor will get permission to exploit the Firth of Forth. The two projects have the potential to provide 950 new wind turbines and generate 5GW (gigawatts) of electricity.
The Scotland Office said the awards would transform Scotland’s offshore wind generation capacity, which now stands at 190 megawatts.
The government will also announce £8million in grants to support the offshore windfarm manufacturing industry, including £1.5million for Burntisland Fabrications in Fife.
The money is intended to support the company’s plans for a manufacturing plant at the Energy Park, Methil, Fife, that could deliver more than 100 turbine-jacket substructures a year by 2011.
Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy said: “Scotland is the windiest country in Europe, and this shows we’re creating the right conditions for the energy industry to invest in harnessing it.
“This is one of the strongest signals yet that Scotland is right at the heart of the UK’s commitment to a low-carbon, energy-secure, prosperous future.”
He added: “But it’s also great news for the manufacturing industry and supply chain in Scotland.
“We understand that the supply chain has to be supported in order to be able to capitalise on this expansion and we are demonstrating that today by awarding grants to several leading players, including Burntisland Fabrications.”
Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the offshore wind industry was at the heart of the UK’s shift to a low-carbon economy, which was potentially worth £75billion.
He estimated wind energy could support up to 70,000 jobs by 2020.
“Our policies in support of offshore wind energy have already put us ahead of every other country in the world,” he said.
“This new round of licences provides a substantial new platform for investing in UK industrial capacity.”