Inch Cape Offshore Limited, a joint venture (JV) between the Edinburgh-based Red Rock Power Limited and Ireland’s energy company Electricity Supply Board (ESB), has selected Siemens Energy-Iemants consortium to deliver the onshore and offshore substation package for the Inch Cape wind farm offshore Scotland.
Siemens Energy will be responsible to design and build the onshore substation which will be installed at the former power station site at Cockenzie, East Lothian, in Scotland.
Inch Cape Offshore Limited submitted an application for the onshore substation site in 2018 and, a year later, it got approved by the Scottish Government.
Early onsite works are expected to commence in early 2023 following engagement with the local supply chain.
“Siemens Energy has a strong record of delivering offshore wind farm projects in Scotland and we will be actively working with Iemants and Inch Cape Offshore Limited to engage with the local supply chain on potential contract opportunities”, said Mark Piling , Vice President HV Grids at Siemens Energy.
Siemens Energy and Iemants, a subsidiary of Smulders, will supply Inc Cape’s offshore substation platform, using Siemens Energy’s Offshore Transformer Module (OTM) technology.
Fit-out and assembly of the OTM and its jacket foundation will take place at the Smulders yard in Wallsend, England.
“Today’s announcement is an important milestone for the project ahead of the CfD results next week.” said Adam Ezzamel , Inc Cape’s Project Director.
A few months ago, the JV selected Montrose Port as the future operations and maintenance (O&M) base for the Inch Cape offshore wind farm and if awarded a Contract for Difference (CfD) this summer, the project would trigger an 18-month, GBP 5.2 million (EUR 6.2 million) investment programme in Montrose Port.
Inch Cape offshore wind farm is located in the North Sea around 15 kilometres off the Angus coastline at a site covering an area of some 150 square kilometres.
Inch Cape Offshore Limited initially planned to use wind turbines with a rated capacity of 9.5 MW. The removal of the 1 GW capacity cap, which occurred in August 2021, will allow the developer to select the most powerful turbines on the market, possibly with ratings in excess of 15 MW within the consented parameters.
Fugro already started with the nearshore surveys and the information gathered will be used used to inform detailed design work and ultimately the construction process, according to Inch Cape Offshore Limited.
With up to 72 turbines, the offshore wind farm will be Scotland’s largest single source of renewable power when built, generating the equivalent of the annual demand of more than one million homes, Inch Cape said.