Saipem 7000 installs deepest offshore wind turbine foundation to date
The semisubmersible crane vessel Saipem 7000 installed the world’s deepest wind turbine foundation at what will be Scotland’s largest offshore windfarm – Seagreen – off the coast of Angus. This milestone will soon be followed by the completion of all foundations, expected later this week.
On Friday, the jacket foundation was transported to the project site on a barge operated by main contractor Seaway 7 where it was met by the Saipem 7000 – the semisubmersible crane vessel which is used to lift each of the 2,000-tonne turbine foundations into place.
The installation of the jacket means Seagreen has now topped its own record from October 2022, when a previous foundation was installed at a depth of 57.4 metres (approximately 188 feet). The deepest foundation has been installed at a depth of 58.6 metres.
Foundation installation almost complete
The significant milestone also marks the installation of the 112th jacket at the 114-wind turbine wind farm which is a £3bn joint venture between SSE Renewables and TotalEnergies. The final wind turbine foundation is expected to be installed later this week
“Seagreen is an important part of SSE’s £12.5bn Net Zero Acceleration Plan, through which we’re investing £7m a day in critical low-carbon infrastructure that will help the UK achieve energy independence. By the end of the decade, we have plans to invest over £24bn in Britain alone.
This is not only a significant step on the road to project completion but also shows how we continue to innovate and push the boundaries of technology to power change. Everyone involved in the project can be very proud of their contribution.
“Reaching this major milestone is testament to the skill of our project team and all our contractors including those who are part of our Scottish and UK supply chain.More than 50 people are involved each time a foundation installation takes place including the onshore team, ballast engineer, tug captain, crew, riggers, welders, tow master and pilot. Our ability to install jackets at this depth, in what is a challenging geographical area, boosts the UK’s energy security and means that consumers can benefit from the strong winds available far out in the North Sea.” – John Hill, Seagreen’s Project Director
Each foundation will support a Vestas V164-10 MW turbine. First power was achieved in August 2022 with the offshore wind farm expected to enter commercial operation later this year.
When complete, the 1.1GW wind farm will be capable of generating around 5,000 GWh of renewable energy annually which is enough clean, secure, sustainable electricity to power more than 1.6m UK homes.
Image: Foundation installation at the Seagreen Wind Farm site, 27 kilometres off the coast of the county of Angus in Scotland Credit: SSE Renewables