Friday 17 May 2019

Final turbine installed at Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm

The last of the 84 turbines has now been installed at one of the world's largest offshore wind farm located in Scotland.

Situated around 13km off the coast of Caithness, the Beatrice offshore wind farm – the biggest in Scotland - has a total capacity of 588MW, enough to provide clean electricity to more than 450,000 homes a year.

Each of the Siemens turbines, at 188 metres from sea level to blade tip, stands taller than the London Eye.

Beatrice is the largest offshore wind farm in the world to use jacket foundations, which weigh around 1,000 tonnes each and are the deepest water fixed foundations of any wind farm.

Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Limited (BOWL) is a joint venture development led by SSE Renewables (40%), Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (35%) and Red Rock Power Limited (25%).

Jim Smith, Managing Director of SSE Renewables said: “Delivering one of Scotland’s largest ever private investments on time and under budget is a fantastic achievement given its complexity and we would like to thank everyone who has helped us make the project a reality.”

Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark added: “The offshore wind sector is a UK success story and the completion of this wind farm is further evidence that the UK is the best place to invest in renewable energy.

“In working with the government, the sector has shown it can deliver ever larger projects at ever lower costs while creating skilled, fulfilling, well-paid jobs. Our ground-breaking sector deal, signed earlier this year, will drive £250 million into businesses in the UK offshore wind supply chain – keeping the UK at the forefront of this vibrant 21st century industry.”