Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm Fully Up and Running

October 17, 2023, by Adnan Memija

All 114 Vestas V164-10.0 MW wind turbines at the Seagreen offshore wind farm in Scotland are fully operational and are generating clean, renewable energy to Britain’s power grid, according to SSE Renewables and TotalEnergies, the owners of the project.

Seagreen offshore wind farm fully operational — *Credit: Seagreen Wind Energy Limited*

Located 27 kilometres off the Angus coast in the North Sea’s Firth of Forth, Seagreen is now Scotland’s largest wind farm as well as the world’s deepest fixed-bottom offshore wind farm, with its deepest foundation installed at a record 58.7 metres below sea level.

The Seagreen project has pushed new boundaries through its use of innovative suction caisson technology which has allowed our project team to set new records through the installation of the world’s deepest fixed-bottom foundations at the site. This makes Seagreen a pioneer for future developments in deeper waters so they can be built faster and more efficiently, accelerating the clean energy transition,” said Stephen Wheeler, Managing Director of SSE Renewables.

The offshore wind farm is operated from a dedicated onshore operations and maintenance base at Montrose Port.

The first Vestas 10 MW turbine was installed in December 2021, with the first power achieved in August 2022 ahead of the installation of the final turbine at the site earlier this summer.

Seagreen was first awarded exclusive development rights for the Firth of Forth Zone site by Crown Estate Scotland in 2010. The project was consented for development by Scottish Government Ministers in 2014 ahead of construction beginning in June 2020.

Delivery of the project supports a GBP 1 billion-plus economic boost to the Scottish economy during construction, supporting around 4,000 Scottish jobs, according to independent analyses published by PwC.

“This significant milestone for Seagreen is also significant for Scotland, taking us a step closer to creating a net zero energy system that delivers affordable, secure and clean energy. We are determined to maximise the economic opportunity Scotland’s offshore wind potential presents, by developing local supply chains, embedding innovation, boosting skills, creating jobs, and benefitting people and communities,” said Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf.

Now completed, power from Seagreen’s 114 turbines is being exported from the North Sea site via three subsea cables to landfall at Carnoustie, and then through 19 kilometres of underground cabling to a new onshore substation at Tealing near Dundee, before being distributed to homes and businesses via the GB power grid.

The 1,075 MW project has the capacity to generate enough renewable electricity to power almost 1.6 million homes annually, equivalent to two-thirds of all Scottish homes, according to its owners.

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“This 1GW project is a new step in delivering our strategy of building a world-class, cost-competitive portfolio of renewable energy to deliver clean, reliable and affordable power to our customers. It will positively contribute to achieving our Integrated Power 12% profitability target and our objective of reaching more than 100 TWh of power generation by 2030,” said Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies.

SSE Renewables led the development and construction of the Seagreen project, supported by TotalEnergies.

Going forward, SSE Renewables will operate the offshore wind farm with support from TotalEnergies.