Copyright Talisman Energy (UK) Limited 2004

The Beatrice Windfarm Demonstrator:Part of the European DOWNVInD Programme

Distant Offshore Windfarms No Visual Intrusion In Deepwater

Location and Infrastructure

Marine cSAC

Beatrice

12 mile limit

Initial Windfarm

Area

DOWNVInD Programme

• Programme Objectives– Research

» Understand environment and technology

– Demonstrator» Show windfarms in 50m are viable

– Operations» Learn how to operate

Consultation: Public and Statutory

Public• Scoping Report

– Issued April 2005

• Consultation– Kick off meeting

» May 2005

– Consultation Meetings» All around Moray Firth» 14 meetings Wick to Fraserburgh» Held July / August 2005

• Information– Newsletters– Website– Presentations

» To various organisations on request

Statutory• Statutory Consultees

– Regular Dialogue– Environmental Programme

» Discuss and agree programme» Birds, Fish Marine Mammals

– Address Specific Concerns» Bird radar on Beatrice» Benthic surveys» Dolphin Monitoring

• Environmental Statement– In preparation

» Issue Dec 2005

• Consent– Field development plan

» Draft in circulation

Grid

• Major issue for full scale development– Moving 1GW from Beatrice to market

– Resource base in North but loads in South» Balance resource availability against transmission losses

– Locational pricing philosophy» Does not balance resource exploitation and transmission

• Issues– Complexity

– Timeframe

– Responsibility

– Cost

– Blockages

Research and Development

• Offshore wind is a nascent industry

• Considerable R&D needed to commercialise industry

• This will need government funding

• Current funding processes–Don’t understand leap needed to commercialise offshore wind

–Bureaucratic and slow

–Do not encourage the players needed to progress the technology» SME’s and offshore experts

–Combining support mechanisms cumbersome

Commercial and Technical Perceptions

• Offshore wind–Lots of promise little delivery

» Big steps needed to commercialise

–Contractors wary» Insufficient activity» Poor return on investment

• Contract strategy–Sharing of risk

» Contractors / owners

• Technology–Onshore wind in commercial

» Technical solutions defined

–Offshore technology in infancy» Not simply adapting onshore» Requires specific offshore solutions