Grid Offer Accepted

The official Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) project timeline records that in 2010 “the agreement to connect NnG to the National Grid was signed,” indicating that a formal grid connection agreement was concluded by that year. This entry shows that the project had already secured a defined route to export its electricity into the UK power system at a relatively early stage in its development. Coming shortly after the 2009 award of exclusive rights to develop the wind farm in Scottish Territorial Waters, the 2010 grid connection agreement marks the point at which the developer locked in system access with the network operator, moving the project beyond conceptual development towards a fully specified infrastructure scheme. Within the timeline presented, the 2010 grid connection milestone sits between the initial site selection in 2008 and the 2011 Agreement for Lease with Crown Estate Scotland, followed by the 2012 submission of the original consent application to Marine Scotland’s Licensing Operations Team. This sequencing underscores that securing a connection to the National Grid was treated as a foundational regulatory and commercial step, supporting subsequent planning, leasing, and consenting actions. By confirming that an executed agreement was in place by 2010, the NnG website shows that key grid access risks were addressed early, helping to pave the way for later milestones such as planning permissions, consents, and ultimately construction and first power into the national grid.