East Anglia wind farm gets off to record start

A landmark wind project off the East Anglian coast has hit a “milestone moment” with the start of offshore construction.

ScottishPower has begun work on the £4 billion East Anglia THREE wind farm with the installation of a record-breaking monopile – the largest ever fitted from a jack-up vessel in Europe.

The colossal 1800-tonne foundation, standing 83.89 metres tall and 10.6 metres in diameter, is the first of 95 that will support turbines across the 1.4GW site, with bosses saying its installation is “a mammoth feat of engineering”.

The joint venture between Navantia Seanergies and Windar Renovables (JVNW), as well as Haizea Wind Group, is leading foundation manufacturing, with Windar Renovables supplying 400-tonne transition pieces.

Seaway7 is handling installation using the Seaway Ventus vessel.

East Anglia THREE is the largest wind farm in both ScottishPower and Iberdrola’s portfolios, and is expected to power more than 1.3 million homes with clean electricity by 2026.

Charlie Jordan, chief executive of ScottishPower Renewables, said: “The installation of our first East Anglia THREE foundation is a real wow moment for both ScottishPower and Iberdrola. 

“It represents a mammoth feat of engineering, skill and a huge amount of work. 

“We’re talking an incredible 1800 tonnes of steel, safely and securely lifted and then precisely placed in the exact spot in an area the size of almost 43,000 football pitches. 

“We’ve never built anything of this scale before.

“This project is a fantastic example of how we’re generating more secure, green electricity for the UK, investing in the country’s clean energy future and supporting jobs and opportunities for decades to come.”   

Lloyd Duthie, Seaway7 vice president UK, Ireland & Asia, added: “We are proud to have successfully installed the first foundation for East Anglia THREE. 

“This achievement comes after two years of preparation, resulting in Seaway Ventus installing the largest monopile from a jack-up vessel in Europe.”

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