Last EOWDC Turbine Installed, Inter-Array Cabling Nearing Completion

The eleventh and final MHI Vestas turbine was erected on 26 May at the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC) where the inter-array cable installation works are also coming to an end, thus moving the project to the final commissioning phase before it generates its first power later this summer. 

The 93.2MW EOWDC, also known as Aberdeen Offshore Wind Farm, features nine MHI Vestas 8.4MW turbines and two 8.8MW models, representing the first time MHI Vestas platform of an 8.8MW output has been deployed commercially in the offshore wind industry.

The installation of the final turbine comes just nine weeks after the first foundation was deployed in Aberdeen Bay by the floating crane Asian Hercules III. The wind turbines were installed by the WTIV Pacific Orca, which put the first one in place on 9 April.

“One of our 1,800 tonne suction bucket jacket foundation was installed in what we believe is a world record of two hours and 40 minutes from the time the installation vessel entered the offshore site until deployment was complete,” Adam Ezzamel, EOWDC project director at Vattenfall, said.

“What makes this even more significant is that the EOWDC is the first offshore wind project to deploy this kind of foundation at commercial scale while it’s also the first to pair them with the world’s most powerful turbines.”

The project, set to be producing electricity for 20 years, will also be a centre for testing and developing new technologies for offshore wind power.

Along with housing the industry’s firsts in terms of foundations and wind turbines, the offshore wind farm is also using the 66kV cabling and will accommodate scientific research programme to understand the environmental impacts of offshore wind.

The EOWDC project has been awarded up to EUR 40 million of funding from the European Union and is supported by Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG).

The wind farm’s operations and maintenance (O&M) team will be based in the Aberdeen Harbour.