Developer Red Rock Power has filed a revised scoping report to Marine Scotland for the 784MW Inch Cape offshore wind farm, which will be located off the coast of Angus.
The plan, which was first revealed in subscriber-only newsletter reNEWS, starts the formal process for a new application for a new project design, the developer said.
It requests the scoping opinion from Scottish ministers on what information should be included and assessed in the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
The revised design sees a reduction in turbines to a maximum of 72 from 110 previously, with hub heights of up to 301 metres.
The refinement also reduced the number of offshore export cables to two from six.
“These changes aim to minimise predicted environmental impacts whilst ensuring that the project continues to make a significant contribution to renewable energy targets and addressing climate change,” the developer said.
A new application is expected to be submitted late in 2017, it added.
Consent for the original 784MW project was reinstated earlier this month by the Scottish Court of Session.
The decision overturned a 2016 court ruling that found in favour of RSPB Scotland over bird impacts.
Image: reNEWS
