Scotland has a quarter of Europe's offshore wind resource and Beatrice represents one of the first steps in tapping it. This is quite simply the most exciting renewable energy development in the UK right now.
That offshore wind resource, and the skills which come both from our word-class universities and our established energy sectors, present a real economic and environmental opportunity which projects like Beatrice are starting to grasp.
Already, some of the most innovative companies in Scottish Renewables’ membership are working in offshore wind: Limpet, which produces a world-first device to protect workers at height offshore; CS Wind, which has developed its Campbeltown factory to deliver towers for offshore projects and companies like Floating Power Plant, who’re developing a combined wind-wave energy device, are all pushing the boundaries of what we know about capturing wind energy offshore.
The jobs and investment which come with offshore wind are already transforming communities.
READ MORE: Prince Charles opens Scotland’s biggest ever offshore wind farm
In Wick, Beatrice will create 90 full-time jobs over the decades of its operational life. These are 365-day-a-year jobs of the future which will equip workers with skills which will be in demand across the world as other economies follow the decarbonisation journey we’re so familiar with now in Scotland.
The scale of the Beatrice project is truly staggering: almost twice the investment of the Queensferry Crossing; the fourth largest offshore wind farm in the world, and all happening in the North East of Scotland.
With the right support from the government, a supply chain which is competitive on price, quality and timescales and the commitment of industry, offshore wind has a bright future in Scotland.
Our offshore wind farms are key to meeting some of the world's most challenging climate change targets – targets which will show the rest of the world how to decarbonise an energy system while boosting an economy and, quite simply, making life better for people.
Our vision of a smart future energy system will have renewable energy at its heart, and projects like Beatrice are at the vanguard of its creation.
* Claire Mack is Chief Executive at Scottish Renewables
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