Scottish Power Renewables has announced that all 102 of the turbines that make up the 714MW East Anglia One offshore windfarm are now up and running.
The construction of the windfarm, which began back in 2017, was completed on time despite a fifth of turbine installations and around half of the connection work taking place during the coronavirus lockdown.
The 7MW direct drive turbines supplied by Siemens Gamesa have 75-metre long blades and a tip height of 167 metres. They will collectively supply enough power each year to meet the average needs of over 630,000 British homes.
Almost 3,500 jobs were sustained during the construction phase, whilst a further 100 long-term positions have been created at the new operations and maintenance base for the windfarm in Lowestoft.
Scottish Power said it was able to complete the project on time by switching up its work practices in response to the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic, including by operating a larger number of smaller vessels, creating “households” who lived and worked together at all times and introducing new welfare protocols.
Charlie Jordon, East Anglia One project director at Scottish Power Renewables, said: “The final commissioning of East Anglia One is an incredible milestone for us and our project partners, as well as our wider stakeholders, the East Anglian region and the whole of the UK. And it comes at a crucial time as the UK takes it first steps towards a green economic recovery.
“Reaching this point was always going to be an extremely important moment for us – heralding the start of full production of green energy from a major site that will play a real part in the UK’s path to net zero.
“What has made it even more incredible is the determination and tenacity of our team, who have worked tirelessly to deliver this significant technical project amidst an unprecedented pandemic, which none of us could have planned for.”
The £2.5 billion project is joint venture between Scottish Power Renewables and the Green Investment Group (GIG) owned by Macquarie.
Edward Northam, Head of GIG Europe, said: “East Anglia One is a reminder that the UK continues to lead the world in the successful delivery of offshore wind projects, and I’m proud of the role that Green Investment Group has played, and continues to play, in supporting and funding the development of this market.
“We remain committed to accelerating the UK’s energy transition and believe offshore wind will be at the heart of the UK’s net zero energy system.”
Scottish Power is planning to build a further three offshore windfarms in the vicinity – East Anglia One North (800MW), East Anglia Two (900MW) and East Anglia Three (1.4GW).