Wind farm opposed by Trump opens near his golf course in Scotland

Mr Trump thinks the wind farm will ruin the view from his property and 'be terrible for tourism'

Mythili Sampathkumar
New York
Friday 07 September 2018 21:59 BST
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A general view of The European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre located in Aberdeen Bay on 7 September 2018 in Scotland which Donald Trump had opposed because of his neighbouring golf course.
A general view of The European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre located in Aberdeen Bay on 7 September 2018 in Scotland which Donald Trump had opposed because of his neighbouring golf course.

An offshore wind farm has opened near Donald Trump’s Scottish golf course despite his objections, in a win for renewable energy advocates.

Before he took office in January 2017, Mr Trump battled in courts to stop the 11-turbine wind farm in Aberdeen, Scotland, from being built.

Mr Trump said the turbines would ruin the view from his Balmedie golf course.

Estimates show the wind farm, which is home to some of the world’s most powerful turbines, could produce more than 70 per cent of the region’s electricity demand and provide power for 80,000 homes per year.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the farm will help establish Scotland as a global leader in moving away from dependence on fossil fuels.

Ms Sturgeon, attending the opening ceremony, said: "This development really does help to secure Scotland's reputation as a world leader in renewable energy generally, but in offshore wind in particular."

Established by Swedish energy group Vattenfall, the EOWDC is Scotland's largest test and demonstration site.

Donald Trump waves to screaming protesters at Turnberry in Scotland

She did not mention him by name, but Ms Sturgeon alluded to the US president in her speech, saying she hoped the "beauty” of the wind farm “will in time be capable of persuading even the sternest critic".

Scotland's Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse, also at the ceremony, said he hopes Mr Trump and the Trump Organisation will see the benefits of the project to the region.

The first of the turbine foundations was installed in the seabed in March, with the final turbine put in place two months later. It began exporting to the national grid in July of this year, but declared open recently.

The Trump Organisation had objected through a series of appeals all the way up to the UK Supreme Court, arguing: "The EOWDC (European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre) will completely destroy the bucolic Aberdeen Bay and cast a terrible shadow upon the future of tourism for the area.”

"History will judge those involved unfavourably and the outcome demonstrates the foolish, small-minded and parochial mentality which dominates the current Scottish government's dangerous experiment with wind energy,” the conglomerate declared in court papers.

At the end, the courts decided it was the Scottish government’s right to develop the wind power project.

Claire Mack, chief executive of Scottish Renewables, told PA Scotland: "With 25% of Europe's offshore wind resource, the deployment of technology like these turbines presents an enormous opportunity for Scotland."

RenewableUK's chief executive Hugh McNeal said: "These turbines, foundations and cables are state-of-the art pieces of big kit which help developers to build projects faster and produce more power, more cheaply.

"Investing in this kind of innovative technology is central to the offshore wind industry's ambition to meet a third of the UK's power needs by 2030."

Agencies contributed to this report

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