Scottish Energy Minister Fergus Ewing has given the green light for the deployment of Scotland’s tallest ever wind turbine to be constructed by the Korean company Samsung. The offshore demonstration wind turbine will have an installed capacity of 7MW and be deployed off the Scottish coastline at the Fife Energy Park in Methil where the Scottish government has allocated 134 acres of land for renewable energy development.
The 640 ft high test-bed turbine will test new designs and models for offshore wind turbines in order to increase their reliability and efficiency.
Scottish Finance Secretary John Swinney said: “Today’s announcement marks a significant step forward in establishing a globally competitive supply chain for the offshore wind industry. This development, which is being undertaken by Samsung Heavy Industries with more than £6 million support from Scottish Enterprise, will utilise newly developed technologies which have not yet been deployed offshore – further confirming Scotland’s commitment to innovation in the offshore wind production sector.”
The deployment was also praised by local authories including Fife Council which described the planned energy park as one of the leading centres for the global offshore wind industry. The project received the approval of WWF Scotland whose director, Lang Banks, commented that if Scotland is to make new jobs in renewable energy a reality it is important that the country “has the facilities to test offshore wind turbines and other components.”
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