- Stoura is a 500 MW floating offshore wind farm which is in the early stages of development and will be located approximately 40km East of Skerries
- As part of the public exhibition, there will be an opportunity to see, using a virtual reality (VR) headset, what the Stoura project may look like from several vantage points around Shetland
- ESB is developing a number of renewable energy projects across Scotland as part of its Net Zero by 2040 Strategy
Tuesday, 13th August 2024
ESB has today announced plans for its first public engagement session which will introduce initial details of the Stoura Project to the people of Shetland. Established in 1927, and majority-owned by the Irish State, ESB is Ireland’s leading energy company and has been active in the UK since the early 90s. ESB is developing several onshore and offshore renewable energy projects across Scotland as part of its Net Zero by 2040 Strategy.
Stoura is a 500 MW floating offshore wind farm which ESB is planning to develop around 40km east of Skerries by mid the 2030s.
The Stoura public engagement will take place in the auditorium of the Shetland Museum and Archives in Lerwick from 2pm to 8pm on Thursday, 19th September. Members of the ESB team covering all aspects of the project will be in attendance to answer any questions.
Dr. Cian Desmond, Stoura Project Director at ESB, said: “This is a really important stage in the Stoura project. Over the past two years we have been working hard to better understand what a floating offshore wind farm could look like off the coast of Shetland. The ESB team is delighted to have the opportunity to share and discuss what we have learned so far with local residents. We are very keen to have as many Shetlanders visit us on the day as possible. This public exhibition is a critical step as we prepare to collect all the information needed for our Environmental Impact Assessment and the submission of planning applications by 2028.”
ESB will use the input gathered during this public event and other engagements to further refine plans for the project. Over the coming years, this will include focused environmental and technical surveys to better understand the project’s potential impacts.
As part of the public exhibition, there will be an opportunity to see, using a VR headset, what the Stoura project may look like from several vantage points around Shetland. Attendees will also be asked to vote for one of three proposed logos for the Stoura project, each of which have been developed by local designer, Lou Jackson. All attendees that vote for the winning logo will be in with a chance of winning one of three bespoke floating wind turbine Lego sets.
ESB is committed to the engaging with the local community throughout the full development of the project. This exhibition comes after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Lerwick Port Authority in 2023. ESB has also recently completed a local capabilities study led by energy consultancy, Voar Energy. This detailed report, which ESB has today made publicly available here, sets out the skills and infrastructure located in Shetland which could feed into the development, operation, and maintenance of a floating wind farm. The Voar Energy study will be a key input into the selection of a suitable floating platform for Stoura and for the refinement of their installation, operations and maintenance strategies. This work is being done with the objective of designing the project in a manner which can bring long-term highly skilled sustainable employment to Shetland.
ESB will hold a follow-on a public engagement session in 2025 to discuss the onshore aspects of the floating wind farm. Following the exhibition in September, all information will be made available online and a series of virtual consultations will be held to facilitate those unable to attend in person.
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