The Scottish government said it granted a license to the operators of what Edinburgh said may be the world's largest offshore floating wind energy development.
Norwegian energy company Statoil was granted a license for its Hywind pilot project that envisions up to five turbines installed by an anchoring system that developers said would facilitate deep-water installation.
"Hywind is a hugely exciting project in terms of electricity generation and technology innovation," Scottish Deputy First Minister John Swinney said in a statement. "The momentum is building around the potential for floating offshore wind technology to unlock deeper water sites."
At full capacity, the company said the floating installation could generate 135 megawatts of power annually, enough to meet the energy demands of about 20,000 average homes.