Inch Cape Offshore seeks consent for wind farm off Angus

The project involves constructing up to 213 turbines in the outer Firth of Tay

Plans for a major wind farm in the outer Firth of Tay have been submitted to Marine Scotland.

Inch Cape Offshore Ltd wants to build up to 213 wind turbines off the Angus coast.

The project is a joint venture between energy firms Repsol Nuevas Energias UK and EDPR.

Industry body Scottish Renewables described the move as a "landmark moment" in developing Scotland's offshore energy potential.

If approved, the wind farm would cover an area of about 150 square kilometres (58 square miles) with have an estimated installed capacity of 1,050 megawatts.

Inch Cape spent three years developing the project. The company said it had undertaken a full environmental impact assessment, with the results available for public viewing at locations around East Lothian, Fife and Angus.

'Important milestone'

Repsol UK managing director Ronnie Bonnar said: "'The submission of the consent application is an important milestone for the Inch Cape project.

"It represents another major step towards development of offshore wind power in the outer Firth of Tay, delivering opportunities for communities in the surrounding area to benefit from the investment which is expected to deliver up to 1,600 Scottish jobs during construction.

"We look forward to working with the relevant stakeholders to ensure a positive outcome for the application."

Scottish Renewables senior policy manager Lindsay Leask said: "This announcement is a landmark moment in Scotland's progress towards unleashing its offshore energy potential, as today's news means that all the of the current offshore wind projects on the east coast of Scotland have now formally submitted planning applications.

"With a quarter of Europe's offshore wind resources, and a world-renowned expertise in the offshore sector already, Scotland has a huge opportunity to benefit from offshore wind development in Scotland and beyond."

Last month, Highland councillors decided to raise no objection to a proposal to construct up to 277 wind turbines off the Caithness coast in the Moray Firth.

The Scottish government, which has the final say in the scheme, had sought Highland Council's views on the Beatrice Offshore Windfarm project.