Offshore staff
DUBLIN, Ireland – SSE Renewables has taken a final investment decision to proceed with the Seagreen 1 offshore wind farm in the UK North Sea.
Located 27 km (17 mi) offshore in the Firth of Forth, the 1,075-MW Seagreen 1 is expected to be Scotland’s largest wind farm, generating enough electricity to power 1 million homes.
The £3-billion ($3.8-billion) project will go forward together with a new joint venture partner, Total, with whom the company has entered into an agreement to sell a 51% stake in Seagreen 1. SSE Renewables will continue to lead on the development and construction of the project, supported by Total, and will operate the asset on completion, which is expected in 2022/23.
Seaway 7, the Renewables business unit of Subsea 7, received an EPCI contract for 114 wind turbine generator foundations and about 300 km (186 mi) of associated inter array cables. The contract will immediately secure 30 jobs within Seaway 7’s Aberdeen office, with up to 50 jobs at the peak of activity.
MHI Vestas Offshore Wind will build and install 114 V164-10 MW turbines. The blades will be manufactured in the Isle of Wight and service operations based in Scotland.
In September 2019, SSE Renewables secured a 15-year Contract for Difference (CfD) in the UK government’s auction for low carbon power for around 40% of the project’s capacity. Another 30% will be contracted with the SSE Group.
The company said it continues to develop its wholly owned Seagreen 2 and 3 projects (combined up to 3,200 MW), which were awarded exclusive development rights by The Crown Estate in 2010.
The UK’s Minister for Energy and Clean Growth Kwasi Kwarteng said: “Seagreen 1 will create hundreds of jobs while powering millions of homes and helping to cut CO2 emissions, highlighting the key role offshore wind will play in our journey to a net-zero carbon emissions UK economy.
“The UK has invested more in offshore wind than any other country, is home to the world’s largest wind farms, and already supplies 10% of UK electricity demand - a figure we expect to double by the middle of the decade.”
06/03/2020
