ScottishPower Renewables and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company Masdar have completed the installation of all 95 foundations at the 1.4-gigawatt East Anglia THREE offshore wind farm in the UK.
The milestone marks a major step in construction of the £4 billion project off the Suffolk coast, ScottishPower said in a statement Monday.
The 95 monopile foundations weigh between 1,200 and 1,800 tons each and stand between 67 and 84 meters tall, with diameters of up to 10.6 meters.
According to the company, the monopiles are the largest to have been installed from a jack-up vessel in Europe.
Installation of all 95 transition pieces, each measuring around 20 meters in height and weighing more than 400 tons, has also been completed.
Installation of the project's 95 wind turbines, with 115-meter-long blades, is meanwhile continuing, with the work having passed the halfway point.
- Wind farm set to come online by year end
Offshore and onshore construction is expected to continue in the coming months, with the wind farm scheduled to become fully operational by the end of this year.
Once operational, East Anglia THREE is expected to generate enough electricity to meet the equivalent power needs of more than 1.3 million UK homes.
The project is supporting around 2,300 jobs during construction and is expected to create about 100 long-term positions in eastern England.
ScottishPower said almost £2 billion has been invested in the UK supply chain through the project, including foundation design, turbine blade manufacturing, vessel charters and marine consultancy services.
By Gokce Kucuk Topbas
energy@aa.com.tr
Anadolu Agency
