With expected capacity of 2GW, Caledonia will be capable of supplying around two million homes with green, low-cost electricity.

The site, being developed by Ocean Winds as part of the Crown Estate Scotland ScotWind leasing round, joins Moray East and Moray West as the company’s third offshore windfarm in Scotland, doubling the energy generation of the Moray Firth.

Need For the Project

The UK Government has set out ambitious targets to double onshore wind and quadruple offshore wind by 2030. An established and proven part of the UK energy mix, offshore wind will help to decarbonise our power system by 2035 and support the UK’s goal to achieve net zero by 2050.

Caledonia will play a significant role in not only in meeting those targets and underpinning energy security, but in advancing Scotland’s offshore wind expertise.

A drive in innovation and technological improvements means that offshore wind is now the lowest cost means of generating the high volumes of low-carbon power we need – and the Caledonia site is one of the most efficient and cost-effective to build.

Water Depths

Caledonia’s water depths are 40m to 100m. Three-quarters of the site is at depths that allow for fixed (rather than floating) foundations.

This means most of the site can be built using the same type of jacket foundations which Ocean Winds optimised at Moray East. This enables Caledonia to implement a proven, low-risk, low-cost engineering solution.

Distance from Shore

Caledonia is around 40km from shore and 70km from the nearest National Grid connection point. Beyond distances of approximately 120km, DC technology becomes a necessity for subsea transmission. This means the additional costs associated with installing AC-DC convertors offshore and DC-AC convertors onshore can be avoided. The onshore substation will be smaller so will require less land and have a lesser impact on the surrounding environment.

Wind

The wind resource at Caledonia is proven through the experience of previous projects and is of a magnitude more usually associated with deeper waters, further from shore. This means Caledonia will benefit from an excellent wind resource, yielding a higher output at lower costs.

Environment

The Moray Firth is the home of commercial-scale offshore wind generation in Scotland. Caledonia neighbours the Moray East and Moray West sites, and Ocean Winds has had a presence here from the beginning of the area’s offshore wind development.

KeyFacts Renewable Energy Directory: Ocean Winds   l   KeyFacts Energy: Projects Database