Thistle Wind Partners (TWP) has submitted the offshore scoping report for the Ayre offshore wind project to the Scottish government.
The developer submitted the documentation to the Marine Directorate – Licensing & Operations Team to request a Scoping Opinion under the environmental impact assessment (EIA) regulations.
The report provides information on the proposed offshore infrastructure and further outlines the approach to the EIA, including baseline data sources.
The Ayre offshore wind project is a 1GW floating wind project located 22km to the east of Orkney that will connect to the grid in Caithness.
A 24-month campaign of offshore aerial bird and marine mammal surveys concluded in February and a benthic survey completed in April.
These are key environmental baseline surveys of the array area and export cable corridor, used to support the EIA.
The TWP project team is planning community consultation events in Caithness for autumn this year and again in early 2025, to support pre-application consultation in advance of the submission of a planning application in 2025 for the onshore aspects of the project.
Following events held in November 2023, TWP will encourage feedback from the community with regards to the onshore infrastructure and other developmental aspects of the Ayre project.
In advance of the submission of the offshore application, community consultation events in will be held in Orkney and Caithness in 2025.
TWP project director Ian Taylor said: “TWP is delighted to meet this milestone for Ayre Offshore Wind Farm, which is a key step in the consenting journey for the development of our Project.
“We will continue to work alongside our many stakeholders in the region, and will be out to share project information with the communities in Caithness later this year.”