Last Siemens Gamesa Turbine Installed at Moray West Offshore Wind Farm in The UK
London, UK - The UK has excellent conditions for offshore wind energy. To achieve its ambitious net-zero emissions targets, the British government is focusing primarily on offshore wind energy.
The 60th and final Siemens Gamesa SG 14-222 DD wind turbine for the Moray West Ocean Winds project has been successfully installed in the Moray Firth in the north of Scotland. Equipped with the “Power Boost” option, each turbine has an output of 14.7 MW. The 882 MW wind farm is scheduled to be fully operational in 2025. When Moray West is connected to the grid, Ocean Winds will be the largest offshore wind operator in Scotland.
Official commissioning of Moray West scheduled for 2025
After the first electricity was fed into the National Electricity Transmission System (NETS) in the summer, the Moray West offshore wind energy project led by Ocean Winds has now reached another milestone with the installation of the last of a total of 60 Siemens-Gamesa wind turbines.
Following the installation of all the foundations, the offshore substations and the array cables, the turbine components were initially pre-assembled in the port of Nigg under the direction of Siemens Gamesa. The turbines were then installed from Nigg using the Cadeler heavy lift vessel “Wind Orca”. Siemens Gamesa technicians on land and on board the vessel supervised the installation of the turbines and are now in the process of commissioning each turbine. Following the installation of all the main components of the project - foundations, offshore and onshore substations, array and export cables and now the wind turbines - the project will enter the commissioning and testing phase before full acceptance in 2025.
"What a journey– and what a result! Subsea surveys, boulder clearance, bomb disposal, scour protection, monopiles, vibro-hammers, transition pieces, cables, onshore and offshore substations - and finally, the deployment of the world’s largest capacity offshore wind turbine to date. Moray West really has ‘set the bar high’ in terms of both technological innovation, and rock-solid project execution. More important than ever, the project has been delivered on time, on budget, and with the highest level of quality,” said Pete Geddes, Project Director at Moray West, welcoming the project's progress.
“With two more projects in development in the United Kingdom and Moray East already operating, we are proud to be leaders in the United Kingdom’s energy transition. Over more than a decade developing our projects in the Moray Firth region we have been key drivers in developing the supply chain, creating and support varied jobs in Scotland and the wider UK”, adds Adam Morrison, Country Manager of Ocean Winds UK.
Jobs in the oil and gas industry in transition - many employees with a background in the oil and gas industry
Moray West is part of Ocean Winds' 6GW portfolio of secured offshore wind farms in the UK. The project is expected to contribute more than £800 million to the local Scottish economy over its lifetime. More than half of Moray West's capital and operating costs will benefit the UK economy and therefore local supply chains.
Moray West also supports a range of local education and training objectives, including the transfer of skilled workers from the oil and gas sector, apprenticeship and internship programs, and support for PhD students specializing in environmental science. More than half of Ocean Winds' operations team has a background in the oil and gas industry.
The state of offshore wind energy in the UK
According to the government's plans, the UK wants to achieve net zero emissions in all sectors of the British economy by 2050. The country is focusing on a massive expansion of renewable energies, particularly offshore wind energy.
The next expansion targets in the UK relate to the year 2030, by which time, for example, UK offshore wind energy is to be expanded to a capacity of up to 50 GW (50,000 MW), including 5 GW (5,000 MW) of floating offshore wind turbines. At the end of 2023, offshore wind turbines with a capacity of almost 15,000 MW were in operation in the UK.
Source: IWR Online, 20 Nov 2024
