Renewables companies have hailed a major milestone in the development of the massive Ossian Floating Offshore Wind Farm.
Ossian said it has become the first ScotWind floating offshore wind farm to complete essential geotechnical surveys.
Set to be located across 858 km² of seabed off the east coast of Scotland, the project at capacity will have the potential to produce up to 3.6GW of energy, enough to power up to six million homes.
The scale of the development makes it "globally significant".
Detailed geotechnical surveys have been ongoing since the spring, providing data and samples key to understanding the engineering properties of the seabed across the vast site.
Completing the exploratory work is “a major milestone for the world-leading project and marks the beginning of a new era for renewable energy”.
David Willson, senior project manager, said: “The scale of Ossian is globally significant and the information gathered from these surveys brings us another step closer to making it a reality.
“We are the first large scale floating offshore wind farm to reach this milestone and are pleased with the progress that’s been made.
“Along with other ScotWind developers, Ossian also recently completed a two-year digital aerial survey of 75,000 birds across the North Sea.
“The pace at which the project has begun will ensure Ossian is able to advance as quickly as possible and contribute to the journey to net zero.”
Ossian is a joint venture between SSE Renewables, Marubeni and CIP. The site’s seabed is around 72m below sea level and is located 84kms off the east coast of Scotland.
The geotechnical surveys carried out by contractors Fugro and Ocean Infinity have delivered information essential to Ossian’s installation design and understanding of the seabed environment.
Ocean Infinity concentrated on the seabed scope, including shallow vibro-cores and deep push seabed cone penetration tests, some of which were carried out remotely in an industry first.
The deployment of innovative technology and the desire to explore new solutions is described as "a must" for the successful development of the floating offshore wind sector.
It is claimed the project will provide a significant economic boost for the supply chain, with a multi-million-pound fund committed to support local orders and investments.
Famous restaurant brand to create 60 jobs at first Scottish location
A popular bar and restaurant brand plans to recruit 60 workers as it prepares to open its first Scottish location.
Caribbean bar and restaurant brand Turtle Bay is searching for “a brilliant team to provide fantastic customer experiences in the heart of Glasgow city centre”. It said the expansion offers a range of roles and that it is looking for candidates who “demonstrate a spirit of positivity and desire to learn”.
How Scotland is helping build Nigeria's first craft brewery
A Glasgow design agency has teamed up with the artist behind some of Fela Kuti's iconic album covers to bring Nigeria's first craft brewery to global attention.
Bature Brewery started in the nation's capital, Abuja, in 2017 and now operates a brewery and taproom from Victoria Island in Lagos. Scots design company Pim-Pam has worked with the brewery for several years, designing everything from their branding through to their beer cans, partnering with artists in Nigeria and wider West Africa on their designs.
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