Scotland to play role in North Sea grid

28/01/2009 17:28

Scotland has been asked to help develop a super-grid that would connect offshore renewable energy projects in the North Sea to grids in various EU countries.

EU's North Sea Grid Co-ordinator Georg Adamowitsch was in Scotland to invite the government to take part in the working group.

He said: "You have excellent renewable targets and we need your experts in our working group."

Scottish minister Alex Salmond, who sees the country as a 'Saudi Arabia for renewable energy' welcomed the invitation.

He said: "Scotland has the capacity and capability to become the green energy capital of Europe. We have a clear, competitive advantage across the range of renewable technologies - with up to 25 per cent of Europe's offshore wind, wave and tidal energy potential.

"That has already been recognised across Europe as contributing to future energy security, with a North Sea super-grid a designated infrastructure priority."

The super-grid was first formally recommended by the EU last year as part of a raft of measures to boost energy security.

We have 21 onshore wind farms and are working on the world's largest wind farm – the London Array.

We are also working on a 500 megawatt wind farm in the North Sea off the coast of Germany, 40 kilometres north west of the Island of Juist.
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