ScottishPower Renewables and Macquarie’s Green Investment Group (GIG) have successfully installed every single turbine on the East Anglia ONE offshore windfarm – another major milestone for the project as it approaches completion.

Beginning in June 2019, a total of 102 Siemens Gamesa SWT-7.0-154 offshore wind turbines have been installed at the windfarm site, 43km off the Suffolk coast. Installation was undertaken by Siemens Gamesa using the Sea Installer and Sea Challenger vessels, operated by DEME.

All turbine components were pre-assembled and loaded out from Peel Ports Great Yarmouth, following ScottishPower Renewables’ £5 million co-investment in the port to prepare it for construction and marshalling activity. The components consist of 75-metre fibre glass blades, tower sections and nacelles (the head of the turbine), which have been on view along the Great Yarmouth seafront and skyline as the 90-metre-high towers were constructed on the quayside.

Each of the 306 turbine blades were manufactured by Siemens Gamesa at its specially-built factory in Hull, England; while some of the towers were produced in Machrihanish, Scotland by CSWind UK. The work that took place at Peel Ports was supported by several local companies and personnel employed by Siemens Gamesa, including Lowestoft-based Delpro Wind and CLS Global Solutions, based in Great Yarmouth.

The windfarm is already making a substantial contribution to the production of green energy, with commissioning still underway. Once fully operational, it will produce 714MW of clean energy annually – enough to power the equivalent of more than 630,000 homes*.

As well as the successful turbine installation, ScottishPower Renewables reached a company milestone during construction, installing its 1,000th MW of offshore wind power on the East Anglia ONE site. Furthermore, Siemens Gamesa notched up the installation of their 1,000th Direct Drive offshore turbine during this project.

Charlie Jordan, East Anglia ONE Project Director at ScottishPower Renewables, said: “Successful installation of all the turbines is a tremendous achievement for the East Anglia ONE project. It brings us another step closer to completion when the windfarm will be producing the clean, renewable energy the UK needs to decarbonise and meet its pledge to reach net-zero by 2050. This project is testament to the leading role East Anglia is playing in offshore wind and is delivering tangible benefits for its people, businesses and communities – including the creation of more than 800 jobs and spending over £70 million with companies across the region.

“With COVID-19 bringing much of the economy to a standstill and affecting everyone across the UK, ensuring we have a safe and secure supply of energy is critical to supporting our vital services. This is why the continuation of this project is deemed as essential work by the Government and ourselves. The full range of people and organisations involved deserve huge credit for the work they have put into making sure it remained on track through such challenging conditions – they are a credit to the industry.”

Edward Northam, Head of GIG Europe, said: “East Anglia ONE has illustrated the role offshore wind projects can play in supporting businesses across the UK, supporting hundreds of skilled jobs in the process. We’re committed to driving the UK’s energy transition, establishing offshore wind as the backbone of the UK’s new low-carbon energy system.”

Andrew Elmes, East Anglia ONE Senior Project Manager at Siemens Gamesa, added: “Ensuring the safety of our employees, customers and suppliers is at the forefront of all we do. We are proud to be working alongside the entire team to safely manufacture, install, and commission the turbines for East Anglia ONE. It’s been a long, challenging journey so far, with new technology, significant weather conditions, and now COVID-19 to overcome. All these factors make this milestone even more fantastic.

“Through collaboration and drawing on our expertise in offshore wind power, as well as harnessing the vast experience of the UK supply chain, we have been able to safely complete installation in good order and ensure East Anglia ONE will deliver reliable clean energy for generations to come.”

East Anglia ONE, a joint venture between ScottishPower Renewables and Macquarie’s Green Investment Group, is a £2.5 billion project and the first of four offshore windfarms ScottishPower Renewables is developing in the region.