PLANS for a major offshore wind farm off the coast of Aberdeen have been pushed back two years.
Developers initially hoped the 11-turbine test centre would be up and running and producing power by 2015, but the project has been delayed.
Majority shareholders have now accepted an offer to connect to the National Grid in 2017.
The project is at the centre of a legal battle with property tycoon Donald Trump, who is objecting to the site being built near his Aberdeenshire golf course. He claims the site would ruin the view at the Balmedie resort.
The Trump Organisation has petitioned to overturn a decision by Scottish ministers to approve the £230million scheme in March.
The judge dealing with the case at the Court of Session is due to publish his ruling in the coming months.
Yesterday the developers behind the Aberdeen Offshore Wind Farm Ltd project said the delay would give them more time to find new investment partners.
Peter Wesslau, the UK manager for Vattenfall and a director of AOWFL, said that "in the best interests of the project" the developers had worked to modify the grid connection date, but would still explore opportunities for earlier connection than 2017.
However, Vattenfall revealed it was no longer able to invest the majority of the £230m capital needed for the scheme.
New investors are now being sought for the project, which suffered a further setback in October after Aberdeenshire Council refused to give the go-ahead for an onshore substation at Balmedie.
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