HRH Prince of Wales will officially open the 588MW Beatrice offshore wind farm off the coast of Scotland this morning.
Beatrice, located 13km off the coast of Caithness in the North Sea, was completed in June 2019.
Commenting on the official opening, Crown Estate Scotland energy and infrastructure head John Robertson said: “Today is a fantastic milestone for Scottish offshore wind, with clean energy being generated at significant scale and new jobs created.
“We’re delighted to have worked closely with the Beatrice partners. As we prepare to launch Scotland’s new round of offshore wind leasing, this success offers a glimpse of how new projects can benefit the climate, communities and Scotland as a whole.”
RenewableUK chief executive Hugh McNeal added: “It’s great to see Prince Charles giving this landmark renewable energy project the royal seal of approval.
“Beatrice represents a major investment by SSE and its partners in vital new energy infrastructure for this country.”
The 84-turbine wind farm was developed by SSE Renewables (40%), with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (35%) and Red Rock Power Limited (25%).
Beatrice uses 7MW turbines supplied by Siemens Gamesa.
The royal opening comes a day after SSE commenced demolition work at the coal-powered Ferrybridge Power Station in West Yorkshire.
The 2GW Ferrybridge ‘C’ plant was built in 1961 and was in service for more than 50 years until its closure in March 2016.
SSE energy director Martin Pibworth said: “The demolition works at Ferrybridge and the official opening of Beatrice are landmark moments for SSE and the UK energy industry. The two events taking place on consecutive days show the profound change that is taking place in the UK’s energy sector.
“At its peak, Ferrybridge Power Station was capable of providing energy for nearly two million people. Now, offshore wind projects like Beatrice will deliver the clean, large-scale, reliable power the UK needs, while boosting jobs and economic growth.
“Crucially, as the fourth largest offshore wind farm in the world, Beatrice will make a major contribution towards combating climate change and meeting the UK’s ambitions for net zero carbon emissions by 2050.”
According to a recent report Beatrice is expected to generate over £2bn for the UK economy over the lifetime of the project.
Commissioned by Beatrice’s owners and produced by BiGGAR Economics the study stated the £2.4bn figure covers the development, construction and 25-year lifetime operation of the plant.
The analysis also showed the project had contributed £460m to the Scottish economy during the development and construction phases, as part of a total £1.3bn contribution to the wider UK economy.
Beatrice is expected to add £72m of value to the UK economy on average every year during its lifetime, of which £34m will be in Scotland, according to the analysis.
Beatrice is expected will create an average of 800 UK jobs a year during operations – 370 of which will be in Scotland.