Seagreen, Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm located just off the Angus coast, is now fully operational and capable of generating enough electricity to power two-thirds of the households in the nation. This power house of clean energy, equipped with 114 enormous turbines, was matrixed following over a decade of planning and construction, with a total investment of £3 billion.
SSE, the operator of the project, is already looking ahead and warns that the consenting process must be expedited to install sufficient turbines to align with government climate change targets. The company extolls the environmental benefits offered by Seagreen, anticipating it to offset over two million tonnes of CO2 each year, thus culminating in diminished dependence on fossil-fuelled electricity sources in the UK.
The wind farm, nestled approximately 17 miles from the shoreline and in 58 metres of water, is a marvel of engineering for being the deepest fixed wind farm around the globe. While originally designed with 150 turbines, advancements in technology and greater generator capacity have reprised the need for a large number of structures yielding the same quantum of electricity.
With the successful launch of the Seagreen offshore wind farm, the company is venturing into exploratory stages for phase two development, which proposes adding an additional 36 turbines.
In August 2022, the wind farm powered up for the first time. Its first full year saw fine tuning to ensure optimal operation. As a valuable facet of the local economy, Seagreen supports about 700 long-term jobs, with half of them based in Scotland itself. Another projected boon for the local community is 60 permanent roles in operation and maintenance at the service facility in Montrose port.
SSE Renewables, a key player in the joint venture with TotalEnergies at Seagreen, recalls the importance of such initiatives in keeping pace with the Scottish and UK governments’ 2030 greenhouse gas emission reduction goals. Paul Cooley, the firm’s director of offshore wind, emphasizes the need for acceleration in critical areas, including grids, consents, and supply chain pricing, to reach the targets.
Reflecting on the wider industry, it’s clear that the UK’s offshore wind capacity is expanding at a rapid pace. Just recently, SSE’s 277-turbine Dogger Bank project off East Yorkshire started producing electricity.
Further construction is progressing on the Neart na Gaoith (NnG) wind farm near Fife, despite facing legal obstacles from RSPB Scotland due to fears regarding migrating birds. Industry representative Claire Mack from Scottish Renewables relates optimism for the sequence of projects in Scotland, attributing it to the nation’s plentiful wind resources. She highlights Scotland’s more than 20 leased offshore wind projects, making it one of the largest commercial leasing sites worldwide.
