The UK’s drive towards clean power, which is a huge jobs and economic opportunity for Scotland, took a significant step forward today [24 April] when Scottish Secretary Ian Murray switched on full power at Ocean Winds’ new Moray West offshore windfarm.
The windfarm, located 13 miles off the coast of Buckie, is one of Scotland’s largest offshore windfarms. It will generate up to 882MW output – enough to power 1.3 million homes – half of Scotland’s households. Upon full power, Ocean Winds will become the largest offshore wind operator in Scotland, running two windfarms off the North East coast and with a third in development.
Clean energy represents the economic opportunity of the 21st century, with this project alone creating around 1,500 jobs during the construction phase. The developer, Ocean Winds, has used more than 80 UK suppliers in the project to date, which has involved installing the biggest turbines yet in British waters, spanning up to 257m above sea level.
Speaking after his visit, Mr Murray said:
“It was a huge moment today when I switched on full power for the Moray West Windfarm.
“Investment like that being made by Ocean Winds is absolutely central to ensuring that Scotland and its workers benefit from the skilled jobs and economic growth that clean energy can bring.
“With Great British energy located in Aberdeen, and billions of pounds of investment on the table, Scotland is at the very heart of the UK Government’s drive to make the UK a clean energy superpower.”
Moray West takes the UK Government a step closer to achieving the 43-50GW offshore wind targets set for 2030, as published in the Clean Power Action Plan- helping deliver on its mission to make the UK a clean energy superpower.
During his visit to Ocean Winds, Mr Murray met staff who have transitioned into renewables after careers in the oil and gas industry and the UK’s armed forces.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said:
“Offshore wind is the backbone of our plans for clean power by 2030, as the UK is blessed with thousands of miles of coastline.
“Developments like Moray West take us a step closer to getting off the fossil fuel rollercoaster and help deliver on our Plan for Change, protecting households from volatile gas prices and creating good jobs.”
After switching on the windfarm to full power, Mr Murray travelled to Aberdeen.
There he visited Sarens PSG and ETZ Ltd.
Sarens PSG were involved in the construction of the Moray West windfarm, marshalling 62 giant ‘monopiles’ – the wind turbine foundations. 10 metres in diameter and 84 metres long, the 2.000 tonne monopiles are the largest and heaviest ever to be handled in the United Kingdom. Mr Murray saw Sarens PSG’s new £1.6 million Aberdeen training facility for wind farm workers. The company opened the facility recently, saying that Great British Energy’s headquarters being located in Aberdeen made the city the ideal location for the facility.
Touring the Energy Transition Zone, Mr Murray visited the Floating Wind Innovation Centre, the UK’s first dedicated facility of its kind for floating wind technology, run by ORE Catapult.
Also today [24 April 2025] Scotland Office Minister Kirsty McNeill visited the Port of Leith, located within the Forth Green Freeport, to mark the official opening of Forth Ports’ new Outer Berth. Forth Ports has invested a total of £100 million into transforming the Port of Leith into a world class renewables hub, which is already playing a key role in supporting Scotland’s energy transition. The Leith Renewables Hub is part of the Forth Green Freeport’s strategically located tax sites, which aim to reindustrialise central Scotland, generating thousands of high-quality green jobs by increasing trade and supporting the growth of businesses across the Firth of Forth.
These visits are happening against the background of the UK Government co-hosting the International Energy Agency summit in London, a global event bringing together countries to discuss energy security.
