The first turbine has been installed at the Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) offshore wind farm off the coast of Fife, Scotland.
The turbine, with a tip height of over 200 metres was put in place by Siemens Gamesa from its specialist jack-up vessel Blue Tern, which initially placed the 87.5-metre turbine tower on its pre-installed steel jacket.
This was followed by the installation of the 350 tonne nacelle, containing the turbine generator, on top of the tower. Finally, its three blades, each 81 metres in length, were bolted to the nacelle.
Once commissioned, this will be the first NnG wind turbine to generate clean, green electricity for the National Grid. Its 8MW of power will be sent via the subsea inter-array cable to its offshore substation then to shore via the subsea export cable to Thorntonloch Beach, where the underground onshore export wire will transmit its power to the network.
The machine’s journey to site began in the Port of Dundee when its component parts were loaded, alongside those of three further turbines, onto Blue Tern.
NnG, owned by EDF Renewables UK and ESB, will ultimately supply enough electricity for around 375,000 homes and has a capacity of around 450MW. It will offset over 400,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year. The project will be fully operational in 2024.
“This is truly a pivotal moment for the NnG offshore wind farm,” said NnG project director Matthias Haag.
“The construction of the first NnG wind turbine was a momentous sight. It’s a great achievement for our team and our contractors and we’ve taken a massive step towards our goal of generating 450MW of clean, green energy and helping Scotland achieve its Net Zero targets.”
Forth Ports director of energy David Webster added: “The Port of Dundee has demonstrated Scotland can build world-class port infrastructure to support the delivery of major offshore wind farms. Working with the NnG and Siemens Gamesa teams we have delivered the first turbine to a remarkable project that will not only deliver green energy but has also been a catalyst for local supply chain development and industry collaboration.”