The Westminster Government decision not to award a contract to a major offshore renewable project in the outer Moray Firth has today been branded a ‘bitter blow’.
Moray Offshore Renewables has not been awarded a contract from the DECC in the first Contracts for Difference auction. Its proposals would see three wind farms installed in the outer Moray Firth, with each wind farm playing host to up to 62 turbines in a joint venture by Repsol and EDP Renewables.
The new Contracts for Difference scheme sees energy producers agree a ‘strike price’ with the DECC to supply energy, but the slow progress in rolling out the scheme has hindered investment decisions on renewables projects in recent years.
SNP MSP Rob Gibson commented: “The Scottish Government rightly has ambitious targets to harness Scotland’s enormous renewable energy resources and MORL has a key part to play in that.
“The Westminster Government’s failure to award MORL a contract to enable it to proceed is a bitter blow to the Highlands economy”.
Fellow SNP MSP Mike MacKenzie – who is also a member of the Scottish Parliament energy committee – added: “This failure to agree a contract with MORL is extremely disappointing.
“This is a key industry for Scotland and it is infuriating that time and again the Westminster Government is preventing investment going ahead and standing in the way of jobs being created.”
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