HALF of the 114 turbines which will make up Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm are now in place in the North Sea, SSE Renewables has announced.
The construction campaign at the Seagreen Wind Farm achieved the landmark this week with the installation of the 57th Vestas V164-10.0 MW turbine, approximately 27km off the coast of the county of Angus.
Since 2021, parts for the Seagreen turbines, including blades, nacelles, and the supporting towers have arrived from Vestas’ base at Able Seaton Port in Hartlepool in the north east of England.
As well as half of the 114 turbines being in place, 63 of the jacket foundation substructures which support the turbines have also been installed. The three-legged jacket foundations each weigh approximately 2,000 tonnes and play a ‘critical’ role in safely supporting the wind turbines during Seagreen’s operational lifespan.
Seagreen first generated power to the UK national grid in August. Once fully operational, SSE Renewables said that the wind farm will be capable of generating around 5,000 GWh of renewable energy annually which is enough clean and sustainable electricity to power more than 1.6 million UK homes.
Further to being Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm, it is also the world’s deepest fixed bottom offshore wind farm – with a number of the structures being installed in water depths of more than 55 metres.
John Hill, Seagreen’s project director, said, “Reaching the halfway point in turbine installation is yet another testament to the dedication and determination of everyone on the team at the Seagreen Wind Farm project. Our milestone announcements are coming thick and fast which just shows the good progress we are making to the windfarm being operational in the first half of 2023 when Seagreen will make a significant contribution to Scotland’s and the UK’s net zero targets.”
