SSE is celebrating hitting the milestone of one million hours of safe contractor working on its offshore Berwick Bank Wind Farm super project.
The safety landmark was met following the conclusion of the latest round of geotechnical surveys in November at the offshore site.
Recording one million hours of contractor working without a lost time safety incident is indicative of the level of ‘enormous progress’ being made on the project, SSE said.
The organisation is awaiting approval of a Section 36 consent application by Scottish Government ministers for the offshore aspects of the project. SSE explained that the application has been with the Scottish Government for almost two years – almost as long as it took it to build Scotland’s largest operational offshore wind farm, Seagreen.
Since 2019, Berwick Bank and its partners have completed over 200 surveys, visits, and onsite activities – with 80% of the one million hours having been completed offshore, as the project team seeks a comprehensive understanding of the ground conditions of the 1,000+ sq km site.
Activity has ramped up over time, and in November the project team concluded a period of 518 continuous days of offshore operations which included over 1600 vessel days.
Berwick Bank wind farm has a proposed installed capacity of 4.1GW, capable of powering over six million homes – the equivalent of supplying all of Scotland’s households twice over.
Numerous partners have been involved in the completion of these works.
Conducting ground investigation campaigns of this scale and length poses significant challenges, especially given the difficulties posed by working offshore in the North Sea, throughout the year. Through dedication and professionalism and thanks to the cooperation of its partners, SSE said it is proud to have successfully completed over one-million hours worked and no lost time safety incidents.
The Berwick Bank team has also developed a strategic partnership with the Scottish Fisherman’s Federation to help minimise disruption to fishing and to utilise local fishing vessels for scouting and guarding during survey operations.
The project has grid connections in East Lothian in 2028 and 2029 and a grid connection in Blyth, Northumberland also in 2029. The delivery of Berwick Bank to its full capacity is essential for meeting Scottish and UK Government net zero targets.
Alex Meredith, Berwick Bank project director at SSE, said, “This safety milestone shows the heights this team is reaching to deliver this extraordinary project. 200 activities, 15 vessels, countless sim ops and coordination activities, a million hours – all without a lost time incident.
“Doing exceptional work requires the team to have first class basics in place and I congratulate the team on maintaining the relentless focus on safety. Over the course of the campaigns, we have made decisions to stop work and call vessels in to ensure we keep our teams safe.
“We will always maintain SSE’s non-negotiable safety standards with all our partners as the work to deliver this exceptional project continues. The million-hour milestone is an important achievement and an opportunity to redouble our efforts to maintain our proud safety record.”
Bryan O’Connor, Berwick Bank geotechncial package manager at SSE, said, “Today, we celebrate not just the completion of an extraordinary survey campaign, but the successful collaboration, innovation, and dedication that made it possible.
“This achievement reflects the hard work of everyone involved and underscores our commitment to excellence. It’s a testament to what we can accomplish when we work together with a shared vision and purpose.”
