The 60th and final Siemens Gamesa SG 14-222 DD wind turbine has been successfully installed on Ocean Winds’ 882MW Moray West project in Scotland.
Supplied with “Power Boost” each turbine can generate up to 14.7MW output, making them the largest offshore commercial turbines in Europe.
The wind farm is nearing the end of the construction phase and will become fully operational during 2025 in line with the originally projected commercial operations date.
When Moray West comes online, Ocean Winds will be the largest offshore wind operator in Scotland.
The Moray West project, under the stewardship of Ocean Winds, has been remarkable in achieving this milestone in line with the project programme, delivering against a very rigorous timeline and the varied challenges of extreme weather, grid connection and supply chain constraints.
The pre-assembly activity of the 60 turbines has been managed by Siemens Gamesa, Siemens Energy’s wind business, who also manufactured all the 180 blades for the project at their facility in Hull, UK.
The Hull site has recruited more than 600 people in the last 12 months, and now employs around 1,300 people.
Siemens Gamesa has been marshalling all turbine components at Port of Nigg from where the Cadeler heavy lift vessel “Wind Orca” undertook the installation.
Its technicians on land and on board the vessel have overseen each installation and are in the process of commissioning each turbine, Ocean Winds revealed.
Following installation of all primary project components across foundations, the offshore and onshore substations, array and export cables and now the wind turbines – the project continues its commissioning and testing phase before full acceptance of the project in 2025.
Pete Geddes, project director of Moray West, said: “What a journey– and what a result.
“Subsea surveys, boulder clearance, bomb disposal, scour protection, monopiles, vibro-hammers, transition pieces, cables, onshore and offshore substations – and finally, the deployment of the world’s largest capacity offshore wind turbine to date.
“Moray West really has ‘set the bar high’ in terms of both technological innovation, and rock-solid project execution.
“More important than ever, the project has been delivered on time, on budget, and with the highest level of quality.
“Delivered by the best team in the business – congratulations to every person in Moray West – you can feel very proud of this tremendous milestone.”
Adam Morrison, Ocean Winds UK country manager, added: “This is a fantastic milestone to mark the installation of all the wind turbines for Moray West.
“The project has some way to go before it is fully commissioned, nevertheless this landmark demonstrates Ocean Winds’ commitment to successful delivery through our fantastic professional and safe teams.
“With two more projects in development in the United Kingdom and Moray East already operating, we are proud to be leaders in the United Kingdom’s energy transition.
“Over more than a decade developing our projects in the Moray Firth region we have been key drivers in developing the supply chain, creating and support varied jobs in Scotland and the wider UK.
“I am really pleased that our collaboration with Siemens Gamesa has reached this milestone on this state-of-the-art offshore wind project.
“It is a great example of what Ocean Winds is delivering for the UK, Scotland and the region. We don’t want to stop here.
“Pipeline continuity is essential to the success of the energy transition in the north-east of Scotland and we need the support of both governments to ensure we can move promptly on to our next major project in the region, Caledonia.”
Moray West, part of Ocean Winds’ 6GW portfolio of secured offshore wind farms in the UK, is expected to inject over £800m in the local Scottish economy throughout its lifespan, and during construction phases it will create more than 1,500 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) years in Scotland, with more than 60 direct long-term operational roles based in Buckie.
More than half of the investment and operating costs of Moray West will benefit the UK economy, underlining Ocean Winds’ commitment to local supply chains.