The Scottish Government has approved the onshore planning application for the Inch Cape offshore wind project.
Inch Cape Offshore Ltd (ICOL) submitted the planning application in principle to East Lothian Council in March last year proposing the former Cockenzie Power Station site as the new location for the project’s onshore substation.
The application and supporting Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) address the construction, operation and decommissioning of the onshore substation, electricity cables and associated infrastructure required for the transmission of electricity from the wind farm.
“The onshore planning consent is a key milestone in the ICOL project and will ensure the project can move forwards within the required timescales,” said Ian Johnson , ICOL Project Manager.
“We look forward to continuing the positive work we have been doing with East Lothian Council and the local communities in order to finalise plans and agreements and ensure construction can begin on time in 2020. The project will act as a positive catalyst in the local area as it continues to go through a period of change following the closure of the power station.”
According to ICOL, the report outlines that the benefits of the proposal are significant in terms of overall investment, support for climate change and the government’s renewables targets.
There are also significant investment and employment opportunities which are dependent on onshore transmission works, ICOL added.
Inch Cape is located in the North Sea around 15km off the Angus coastline at a site covering an area of some 150km2. The 784MW project, which will feature up to 72 turbines , is expected to enter construction in 2020.
ICOL is 100% owned by Red Rock Power, an Edinburgh-based company which is in turn owned by China’s SDIC Power Holdings.