The Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) wind farm, located 30 kilometres north of Torness, is due to receive improvements as part of a redesign project.

EDF Renewables UK has been granted government approval to carry out the project, which is expected to be operational by 2023.  

Under original designs, the maximum number of turbines at the NnG was 75. However, EDF plans to redesign the wind farm to include 54 turbines with a greater capacity.  

The announcement follows EDF’s acquisition of the project in May this year. Previously, the London-based firm Mainstream Renewable Power had announced plans to build the NnG wind farm in November 2017.

Redesigned Renewables 

EDF Renewables UK is a joint venture between EDF Renewables and EDF Energy. The organisation helps develop and operate onshore and offshore wind power initiatives.  

Currently, the company operates wind farms capable of producing more than 780MW of renewable power and battery storage.  

The NnG offshore wind farm will cover an area of more than 100km2 and will be able to produce around 450MW of clean energy.  

This level of production has the potential to power around 375,000 Scottish homes every year.  

Additionally, the wind farm will displace more than 400,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, according to EDF Renewables. 

Matthias Haag, NnG project director for EDF Renewables UK, commented: “This is great news and we are excited to move forward delivering this milestone project for Scotland, which will provide low-carbon energy for decades to come.”

Renewable Boom 

In November it was revealed that wind power produced enough energy to power the equivalent of 98% of Scotland’s electricity demand in October – enough to power up to five million homes.  

The data was published by WeatherEnergy, part of the EU-led EnergizAIR project. 

The National Grid demand for the entire month was 1,850,512 MWh, with wind turbines across Scotland generating approximately 1,820,950 MWh.  

While these figures highlighted a significant rise in wind power production, figures released by WWF Scotland showed that the majority of wind turbines were onshore. Offshore power accounted for just 0.3% of output.