Masdar and ScottishPower Renewables have installed all 95 foundations and transition pieces for the 1.4GW East Anglia THREE offshore wind farm off the Suffolk coast.
The £4 billion project uses monopiles weighing between 1,200 and 1,800 tonnes. The structures stand between 67 m and 84 m high and measure up to 10.6 m in diameter. The project partners said they are the largest monopiles installed from a jack-up vessel in Europe.
All 95 transition pieces are also in place. Each structure is 20 m high, 8 m in diameter and weighs more than 400 tonnes.
Seaway7 carried out the foundation work with the jack-up vessel Seaway Ventus. East Anglia THREE was the first project on which the vessel completed a full foundation installation campaign.
More than half of the wind farm’s 95 turbines have now been installed. The turbines use 115 m blades manufactured at Siemens Gamesa’s factory in Hull.
Offshore and onshore construction will continue over the coming months. East Anglia THREE is expected to become fully operational by the end of 2026.
The wind farm will have a capacity of 1.4GW, enough to supply more than 1.3 million homes in the UK.
Seaway7 is also progressing installation of the project’s inter-array cables.
East Anglia THREE is Masdar’s first 50:50 offshore wind joint venture in the UK with ScottishPower Renewables. It is also the second project developed under the €15 billion strategic partnership between Masdar and Iberdrola.
Almost £2 billion has been invested in the UK supply chain. The work includes foundation design by Wood Thilsted, blade manufacturing by Siemens Gamesa in Hull, vessel charters from Norfolk-based NR Marine Services and OEG, and metocean and seabed consultancy support from Partrac.
The project is supporting 2,300 jobs during construction and is expected to create around 100 long-term roles in the East of England.
