Moray East Offshore Windfarm announced that the company has successfully installed its first of 100 9.5MW turbines in the Moray Firth.
Moray East’s WTG Package Manager, Ewan Watson said:
“A turbine is the most iconic representation of the new offshore wind industry, and I am delighted to issue images of Moray East’s first turbine, a proudly towering 200m representation of engineering success against some of the most challenging circumstances the world has known.“
In December 2020, Moray East announced the completion of jacket installation – with 100 three-legged steel foundations installed on the sea-bed. Turbine components have been arriving in the Moray Firth, where they have been stored and preserved onshore. Pre-assembly work is being undertaken at Global Energy’s facility at Nigg in Scotland. Turbines components are loaded onto an installation vessel and taken to site; the offshore installation, comprising of 5 lifts, will be completed by MHI Vestas and Fred Olsen.
Moray East’s Head of Construction, Enrique Alvarez Cordobes said,
“This has demanded precision engineering with massive components, requiring excellent co-operation and co-ordination between a range of companies both on land and at sea, and I would like to offer my thanks and congratulations to all those who have made this most distinctive and visible milestone possible.“
Moray East’s Project Director, Marcel Sunier said:
“Moray East is the country’s largest infrastructure project, and a massive amount of effort – represented by tonnes of steel and kilometres of cable – much of this below ground or sea – have been required to get us to this point.
“I am delighted to be able to announce one of the project’s most visible and distinctive milestones – the safe and successful installation of our first wind turbine. This is a truly amazing team effort considering the circumstances under which the teams had to work to achieve that important milestone. The resilience and good co-operation was one of the key factors in achieving this. I am looking forward to see the remaining 99 wind turbines being installed safely and successfully during the forthcoming months and wish to thank all those involved in making this happen.”
Project Statistics
- Capacity: 950MW
- Location: UK, Moray Firth, closest point to shore, 22km from shore.
- Turbines: 100 V164 – 9.5MW
- Power for average requirements of ca. 950, 000 UK homes
- Moray East will generate sufficient electricity to save 1.4 million tonnes CO₂ equivalent annually (assuming displacement of gas generation)
- Power will be generated at £57.50/MWhr, the lowest cost of any new renewable generation and 2/3 less than offshore windfarms in operation around the UK today (typically upward of £140/MWhr)
Crowley Shipping has recently formed a New Energy division. Read more here.
Image Credit: Moray East Offshore Windfarm
