Industry News
ScotGov: Planning consent has been granted for a wind farm which will bring £30m in to the Highland economy and generate £500,000 a year for local communities, including scholarships to send local young people into further education.
Energy Minister Fergus Ewing has approved the Beinneun wind farm, near Invergarry, Highlands. The 85 megawatt wind farm will have 25 turbines and generate up to the equivalent of the energy needs of 40,000 homes. The wind farm will bring 90 jobs to the area during the 2 years of construction and employ 3 people directly and 3 indirectly.
Press release ~ ScotGov: Beinneun wind farm ~ Scottish Government’s Energy Consents and Deployment Unit
DECC: Innovators with novel ideas to reduce the cost of offshore wind energy have been invited to get their ideas off the drawing board and into turbines out at sea with the launch of 2 competitions.
As highlighted in the Offshore Wind Technology Innovation Needs Assessment (TINA) published by the Low Carbon Innovation Coordination Group (LCICG) in February 2012, offshore wind has tremendous potential to reduce the UK’s reliance on imported fossil fuels, helping cut carbon and meet the UK’s renewables targets. Innovation is key to improving efficiency & cutting costs, but further investment is needed in this area.
As highlighted in the Offshore Wind Technology Innovation Needs Assessment (TINA) published by the Low Carbon Innovation Coordination Group (LCICG) in February 2012, offshore wind has tremendous potential to reduce the UK’s reliance on imported fossil fuels, helping cut carbon and meet the UK’s renewables targets. Innovation is key to improving efficiency & cutting costs, but further investment is needed in this area.
Up to £7m is available under the 3rd round of the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the Technology Strategy Board’s (TSB) component technologies development & demonstration scheme. DECC and TSB expect to help fund between 5 and 10 projects, depending on the volume and quality of the applications received and the deadline for applications to DECC is noon on 16 January 2013. Potential applicants are encouraged to attend the briefing event on 13 November 2012 before submitting an application.
DECC: Energy Minister John Hayes has given Chevron North Sea Ltd consent to drill the deepwater Cambo-5 well, West of the Shetland Isles.. Chevron is to drill the well as substitute operator on behalf of the block licence operator, Hess Limited, and the Cambo co-venturers. The Cambo-5 well, in Block 204/5a, is 136 kilometres west of the Shetland Isles in a water depth of approximately 1,090 metres.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change has subjected Chevron’s applications, including the environmental impact assessment and emergency response plan, to detailed & extensive scrutiny, and the Health & Safety Executive has undertaken a thorough examination of the well design & drilling plan, with no objections to the proposals.
OS: More NHS organisations than ever before are using innovative mapping technologies to help improve local health services. From reducing obesity in Birmingham to plotting hotspots of low immunisation take up in Essex, Ordnance Survey’s intelligent geographic information is being used in a wide range of settings to inform healthcare decision-making.
Accessing digital maps has never been easier thanks to the Public Sector Mapping Agreement (PSMA) – a centrally funded licensing agreement between Government & Ordnance Survey which allows geographic data to be widely available, free at the point of use and shared between all public sector organisations across England & Wales. A record 2,500 public sector organisations have now registered for the PSMA.
