The first foundation has been installed for ScottishPower鈥檚 拢4bn East Anglia Three offshore windfarm.
Standing at 83.89 metres tall, 10.6 metres in diameter and weighing 1,800 tonnes, the monopile is the largest ever to have been installed from a jack-up vessel in Europe.
ScottishPower Renewables chief executive Charlie Jordan said: 鈥淭he installation of our first East Anglia Three foundation is a real wow moment for both ScottishPower and [its Spanish parent company] Iberdrola. It represents a mammoth feat of engineering, skill and a huge amount of work. We鈥檙e talking an incredible 1,800 tonnes of steel, safely and securely lifted, and then precisely placed in the exact spot in an area the size of almost 43,000 football pitches. We鈥檝e never built anything of this scale before.鈥�
He continued: 鈥淓ast Anglia Three will be the biggest-ever windfarm across the whole of the Iberdrola group and the second largest in the world when it comes into operation. To visibly see it starting to take shape in the North Sea is a real milestone moment and definitely something to be proud of. This project is a fantastic example of how we鈥檙e generating more secure, green electricity for the UK; investing in the country鈥檚 clean energy future; and supporting jobs and opportunities for decades to come.鈥澛犅�
The monopile 鈥� manufactured by Joint Venture Navantia Seanergies Windar Renovables (JVNW) 鈥� was installed by the Seaway Ventus jack-up installation vessel.
It is the first of 95 monopiles being manufactured for the 1.4GW windfarm. JVNW is fabricating 45 of the 95 foundations for the project, with the remaining 50 being manufactured by Haizea. Both monopile manufacturers are Spanish.
Each of the 95 monopiles will be between 67 and 85 metres in length, up to 10.6 metres in diameter and weigh between 1,200 and 1,800 tonnes. They will support 95 Siemens Gamesa turbines that will generate a total of 1400MW of clean energy 鈥� enough to power the equivalent of more than 1.3 million homes.
The first of the 95 transition pieces 鈥� produced by Windar Renovables in Spain 鈥� has also been installed, with each 20 metres in height, eight metres in diameter and weighing more than 400 tonnes.
Seaway7 is installing all of the East Anglia Three monopiles and transition pieces. To achieve this, its Seaway Ventus jack-up vessel has been fitted with a custom-built mission equipment spread. Seaway7 vice president Lloyd Duthie said, 鈥淲e are proud to have successfully installed the first foundation for East Anglia Three. This achievement comes after two years of preparation, resulting in Seaway Ventus installing the largest monopile from a jack-up vessel in Europe. It really is testament to the scale of engineering that can be achieved together with partners across the supply chain. We look forward to progressing this significant multi-year construction project, encompassing foundation and inner-array cable installation, with ScottishPower Renewables to deliver a substantial contribution to the UK's renewable energy ambitions.鈥�
The installation of all 95 turbines is expected to be completed by early 2026.
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