An 85 metre high wind turbine has been installed in the Moray Firth in preparation to create the world’s biggest offshore wind farm.
The test turbine, which is the first of two, features blades 63 metres long and sits on top of a large base on the sea floor of Beatrice Oil Field, 12 miles offshore. It is part of a £35m joint venture between Talisman Energy and Scottish & Southern Energy to test the technical and economic feasibility of wind farms in water depths of 45 metres.
If successful, a 200 turbine wind farm will be installed at the site to power the nearby Talisman Energy Beatrice platform. It is hoped the farm will eventually generate over 10MW of renewable electricity.