© Supplied by - The Moray East offshore wind farm near Fraserburgh is generating an annual spend of more than £100 million, according to a new study.
An analysis from BiGGAR Economics said the Ocean Winds-operated wind farm provides work for more than 130 Scottish companies, including 36 based in Aberdeenshire.
According to its data, 480 jobs are supported annually by Moray East’s operations and maintenance, delivering £35m in gross value add (GVA) to the Scottish economy.
Moray East, 25 miles off the coast of Fraserburgh, became fully operational in 2022, generating enough power for over one million homes.
With the establishment of a new operations and maintenance base in the town, developer Ocean Winds created 70 long-term roles in Fraserburgh – 98% of whom live locally – becoming one of area’s top employers.
Ocean Winds has generated a similar number of long-term roles in the neighbouring Moray West project out of Buckie.
Caledonia offshore wind farm project director Mark Baxter said: “Offshore wind is the lifeblood of Scotland’s future green economy, with this study showcasing a small piece of the prize on offer from this sector.
“More work is needed for Scotland to fully realise the industry’s vast potential to deliver transition job opportunities for our oil and gas communities, and clean affordable power for the country.
“This work highlights the value of Moray East through employment and GVA – our upcoming Caledonia project will greatly increase these significant economic benefits for the North East, for Scotland, and for the wider UK, both during construction and the long-term operational phases.”
The study comes as Ocean Winds seeks to build the Caledonia project, another offshore wind farm in the Moray Firth, which is set to deliver billions of pounds of investment to the UK economy, and further employment opportunities to North East Scotland.
Ocean Winds previously said that the Moray East and West projects would bring with them over £3.5 billion of investment in the UK.
