The offshore substation and jacket foundation for the 1100MW Inch Cape offshore wind farm have been installed 21km off the Angus coast in the North Sea.
The Siemens Energy Offshore Transformer Module (OTM) and its 68-metre jacket foundation were lifted into place by Heerema Marine Contractors’ semi-submersible crane vessel Sleipnir.
The 2700-tonne platform, Siemens Energy’s first double OTM, houses two circuits with transformers and reactors in a compact modular design.
Fabrication and assembly of the OTM and jacket took place over the last 18 months at the Smulders yard in Wallsend, Newcastle, involving a team of 250 and around 80 UK subcontractors.
Inch Cape project director John Hill said: “This has been an impressive team effort by Siemens Energy, Smulders, Heerema and the myriad smaller contractors who contributed to ensuring the safe and efficient fabrication and installation of these major Inch Cape components.”
Owned 50:50 by ESB and Red Rock Renewables, Inch Cape is Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm currently under construction. Once operational it will generate almost 5TWh of electricity a year, enough to power half the homes in Scotland.
Onshore substation works at Cockenzie, East Lothian, are well advanced. Installation of the first of two export cables is scheduled for late summer, with first power expected in late 2026 and full commercial operation in 2027.