Neart na Gaoithe Team Set to Start Bringing Second Offshore Substation to Life

February 14, 2023, by Adrijana Buljan

The commissioning work on the second offshore substation (OSS) of the Scottish offshore wind farm Neart na Gaoithe will start on 15 February.

Illustration; Neart na Gaoithe South OSS, the project's first OSS; Photo source: HSM Offshore

The first of Neart na Gaoithe’s two offshore substations, South OSS, was installed in June 2022 by Heerema Marine Contractors, using the world’s largest crane vessel Sleipnir, followed by the installation of the jacket foundation for the second substation, North OSS.

The topside for the second offshore substation was placed on its foundation in December 2022, while the commissioning of the first OSS was well underway.

The commissioning work of the North OSS will be supported by the walk-to-work (W2W) vessel Vos Stone and the crew transfer vessel (CTV) Rix Lion, which will also continue to support the South offshore substation commissioning activities.

Neart na Gaoithe is jointly owned by EDF Renewables and ESB.

The 450 MW offshore wind farm will comprise 54 Siemens Gamesa 8 MW wind turbines, whose foundations are currently being installed.

The wind farm is expected to produce first electricity this year and, once fully commissioned, will supply enough electricity for around 375,000 homes and offset over 400,000 tonnes of Co2 emissions each year.