SSE Renewables and TotalEnergies have received a go-ahead from the Scottish Ministers to increase the combined capacity of the remaining 36 wind turbines of the Seagreen offshore wind farm from 360 MW to 500 MW, bringing the project’s total installed capacity to 1,575 MW.
All 150 offshore wind turbines for the Seagreen wind farm are consented and the first 114, which make up for an assigned capacity of 1,075 MW and have a grid connection in Tealing, Angus, are currently being installed with the project producing its first power in August.
The joint venture between TotalEnergies (51 per cent) and SSE Renewables (49 per cent) submitted the Section 36C (S36C) application to Marine Scotland in May 2022 to vary the existing consent to increase the height and dimensions of Seagreen’s remaining 36 turbines.
The connection for these remaining turbines consists of an offshore cable corridor to landfall at Cockenzie, East Lothian, and the onshore cable corridor and the onshore substation.
In August 2021, planning permission in principle (PPP) for the substation and onshore cable infrastructure at Cockenzie was unanimously approved by East Lothian Council.
SSE and TotalEnergies filed the S36C application following a decision by National Grid last year to increase the project’s grid connection offer at Cockenzie to 500 MW, with an aim to take advantage of developments in offshore turbine technology and maximise the wind yield of Seagreen’s remaining consented, but not yet constructed, turbines.
“We welcome the swift decision from Scottish Ministers and this consent ensures we can maximise the renewable energy potential of the 36 consented turbines that will eventually connect into Cockenzie” , said Project Director for Seagreen, John Hill .
“Seagreen, Scotland’s largest and the world’s deepest fixed based offshore wind farm, will help Scotland to reach a net-zero carbon future and the project will now be able to capture more wind to produce more renewable energy”.
Besides being the largest Scottish wind farm, Seagreen is also the world’s deepest project of this kind using bottom-fixed foundations.