Scotland on Sunday and The Scotsman report on the open secret that the floating wind part of Scotwind is unlikely to ever get built.
UK Government’s Clean Power 2030 ‘sprint to net zero’ was based on the assumption that up to 4 GW out of 19 GW of floating offshore wind could be built off the coast of of Scotland. The National Energy System Operator calculated hundreds of miles of new pylons would be needed to carry the electricity down to England. Lauder’s beautiful landscape would be collateral damage to those now discredited calculations.
One energy insider quoted in The Scotsman said: “Scotwind was a complete moonshot… We need to put forward a more credible offering, rather than kidding ourselves.”
In its justification for a major substation next to SSSI raised bog Threepwood Moss, Scottish Power Energy Networks , cites the Scotwind auction. Engineering Justification Paper 2024 P6 and P8 says:
Given that Scotwind benefits from “the strongest supporting mechanisms,” and an “enviable stable policy environment for renewables,” but they still can’t make it work, it is time to review the whole premise of a remote wind based grid.
Hot on the heels of the National Audit Office damning report on the UK Government’s grid plans, this is another reason why Scottish Power’s irrational plans to industrialise Lauderdale need a complete rethink.