Aberdeen wind farm opposed by Donald Trump generates first power

A major North Sea wind power development off Aberdeen which was opposed by Donald Trump has generated its first power.

A total of 11 turbines make up the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC).

Power from the wind farm, developed by Swedish energy group Vattenfall, is being exported to the National Grid.

Mr Trump battled unsuccessfully in the courts to halt the project before he became US president.

He said they would spoil the view from his Aberdeenshire golf course at Menie.

The 11 turbines are the most powerful in the world with a total generating capacity of 93.2 MW.

It is estimated the wind farm will produce the equivalent of more than 70% of Aberdeen's domestic electricity demand.

Political leaders say the EOWDC will add significantly to Scotland's renewable generating capacity.

Project director Adam Ezzamel said: "We have overcome major engineering and technical challenges to achieve first power on the cutting edge EOWDC thanks to the collective expertise of Vattenfall, and our contractors.

"Our priority now is to fully commission the wind farm safely throughout the summer.

"First power from EOWDC reinforces north east Scotland's status as Europe's energy capital and will help establish the region as an international centre for offshore wind generation."

The first turbine was installed at the beginning of April, with 21km of cable connecting them to a substation at Blackdog.

Jean Morrison, chair of Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (Areg), said: "The timescale between the first installation and first power is remarkable.

"The techniques and innovations developed at the EOWDC will be hugely significant for the industry and should help to reduce the future costs of offshore wind.

"As energy demand grows, we need to maximise the returns from our natural resources and offshore wind can help us do that."

Scottish Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse said: "I congratulate the project team at Vattenfall for not only a successful installation but also their achievement in generating electricity from the world's most powerful offshore wind turbines which, with each rotation at full power, will generate enough energy to power a home for 24 hours.

"Once the test and demonstration site is fully operational, not only will this help the offshore wind sector to further reduce its costs through lessons learned during operations, but the output from EOWDC will itself add significantly to Scotland's renewable electricity generating capacity, building on figures announced last month that showed installed capacity reached a record 10.4GW in the first three months of 2018 and which also provisionally indicated that renewable sources met an equivalent of 69% of Scotland's electricity demand in 2017."