Time capsule marks St Andrew’s Day milestone for Scotland’s biggest offshore wind farm

Ferrydean Primary School pupils help plant the time capsule at Montrose Harbour. Pics: Wallace Ferrier

Montrose Port Authority and Seagreen Wind Energy Limited has marked St Andrew’s Day with the burial of a time capsule celebrating a major milestone in a development serving what will be Scotland’s biggest offshore wind farm, 27 kilometres off the coast of Angus.

Pupils from Ferryden Primary School were tasked with selecting items to be buried in the capsule and unearthed in 25 years’ time – the minimum lifespan of the new Seagreen offshore wind farm.

To mark the occasion, local bagpiper Norman Fiddes led the children to the time capsule location next to Seagreen’s soon-to-be-opened operation and maintenance base.

Items placed in the capsule include symbols of the pandemic such as hand gel and face masks, as well as artwork, video clips, toys, newspapers and a Ferryden school jumper.

School kids are piped into the ceremony.

The project highlights the commitment of Seagreen’s joint partners SSE Renewables and TotalEnergies, and Montrose Port Authority to ensure a lasting community benefit from the £3billion wind project.

In addition to the time capsule, pupils from schools across Montrose were also invited to suggest names for the new Seagreen Operations and Maintenance building on the Port’s South Quay and it was a Ferryden pupil who came out on top.

As suggested by P5 pupil Lilly Hill, once operational the building will be known colloquially as ‘Windy Waves House’ and as a token of appreciation for all their hard work, every pupil of Ferryden Primary and the school’s nursery will be presented with a book token from Montrose Port Authority and Seagreen.

Tom Hutchison, CEO and Harbour Master at Montrose Port Authority, said: “We were delighted to have pupils from Ferryden here to mark the burial of the time capsule - the suggestions they came up with were fantastic and really provide a glimpse into life in 2021.

“Having Seagreen’s O&M base at Montrose will bring 25 years of prosperity to the Angus region and I am delighted that our young people, many of whom will go on to have careers in the renewable energy sector, are already starting to benefit from this partnership. I hope in 25 years’ time, Montrose continues to be a centre of excellence for new and exciting technologies.”