The world’s deepest wind turbine foundation has been installed at what will be Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm – Seagreen – off the coast of Angus. The foundation was installed at a depth of 58.6 metres.
On Friday, 7 April, the foundation (or jacket) was transported to the project site on a barge operated by main contractor Seaway 7 where it was met by the Saipem 7000, the semi-submersible crane vessel used to lift each of the 2000-tonne turbine foundations into place.
The installation of the jacket means Seagreen has now topped its own record from October 2022, when a previous foundation was installed at a depth of 57.4 metres. The significant milestone of the deepest foundation also marks the installation of the 112th jacket at the 114-wind turbine wind farm which is a £ 3 billion joint venture between SSE Renewables and TotalEnergies.
‘More than fifty people are involved each time a foundation installation takes place including the onshore team, ballast engineer, tug captain, crew, riggers, welders, tow master and pilot,’ says John Hill, Seagreen’s Project Director. ‘Our ability to install jackets at this depth, in what is a challenging geographical area, boosts the UK’s energy security and means that consumers can benefit from the strong winds available far out in the North Sea.’
Also read: Seaway 7 delivers first jackets for Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm
1.1 GW wind farm
Each foundation will support a Vestas V164-10 MW turbine. First power was achieved in August 2022 with the offshore wind farm expected to enter commercial operation later this year.
When complete, the 1.1 GW wind farm will be capable of generating around 5000 GWh of renewable energy annually, which is enough electricity to power more than 1.6 million UK homes.
Also read: Swire Blue Ocean awarded Seagreen installation contract
Towards 50 GW of offshore wind by 2030
Alistair Phillips-Davies, Chief Executive of SSE plc: ‘Seagreen is an important part of SSE’s £ 12.5 billion Net Zero Acceleration Plan, through which we’re investing £ 7 million a day in critical low-carbon infrastructure that will help the UK achieve energy independence. By the end of the decade, we have plans to invest over £ 24 billion in Britain alone. This is not only a significant step on the road to project completion but also shows how we continue to innovate and push the boundaries of technology to power change.’
He concludes: ‘Thanks to a strong and stable policy framework, the UK has established itself as the world leader on offshore wind and SSE Renewables is building more offshore wind than anyone on the planet. But we want to do more and now is the time to accelerate if we are to achieve the UK’s target of 50 GW of offshore wind by 2030.’
Picture: Foundation installation at the Seagreen Wind Farm site, 27 kilometres off the coast of the county of Angus in Scotland (by SSE Renewables).
Also read: VIDEO: Crane accident Saipem 7000 results in capsized barges
