An exciting milestone for the Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) offshore wind farm has been hit, and the first of the wind turbines have been installed off the coast of Fife, Scotland.
Installed by Siemens Gamesa, the turbine was constructed by the specialist jack-up wind turbine vessel, the Blue Tern, which initially placed the 87.5 metre turbine tower on its pre-installed steel jacket. At the top of the tower, the 350 tonne nacelle, containing the turbine generator was installed and had three blades, each 81 metres in length, bolted to the nacelle. The turbine has a tip height of over 200 metres.
Once commissioned, this will be the first NnG turbine to generate clean and green electricity for the National Grid. The 8MW of power produced will be sent to an offshore substation via the subsea inter-array cable. The power will then reach Thorntonloch Beach, where the underground onshore export cable will transmit its power to the national grid.
The turbine started its journey at the Port of Dundee when its component parts were loaded, alongside those of three further turbines, onto the Blue Tern.
Owned by EDF Renewables UK and ESB, NnG will eventually supply enough low carbon electricity for around 375,000 homes and has a capacity of around 450MW of low carbon energy. Once the project is fully operational in 2024, it will offset over 400,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year.
“This is truly a pivotal moment for the NnG offshore wind farm. The construction of the first NnG wind turbine was a momentous sight. It’s a great achievement for our team and our contractors and we’ve taken a massive step towards our goal of generating 450MW of clean, green energy and helping Scotland achieve its Net Zero targets.”
Matthias Haag, NnG Project Director.
“The Port of Dundee has demonstrated that Scotland can build world class port infrastructure to support the delivery of major offshore wind farms. Working with the NnG and Siemens Gamesa teams we have delivered the first turbine to a remarkable project that will not only deliver green energy but has also been a catalyst for local supply chain development and industry collaboration.”
David Webster, Director of Energy at Forth Ports.
