Beatrice Offshore Windfarm, Scotland’s largest wind farm, has started generating power for the first time. Following the successful installation of the first 7MW turbine, Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Limited has exported power to the National Grid for the first time. The installation of the first turbine heralds the start of the final stage of Beatrice’s journey towards completion in Spring 2019.
Once complete, Beatrice’s 84 Siemens Gamesa turbines will be capable of providing sufficient clean and sustainable power for the equivalent of 450,000 homes, making a significant contribution to the UK’s renewable energy targets.
Situated 13km off the Caithness coast, the £2.6bn wind farm is not only one of the largest private investments in Scottish infrastructure, it is also the largest offshore wind farm in the world built using jacket foundations. The jackets are also the deepest water fixed foundations of any offshore wind farm, each weighing in at c.1,000 tonnes and being installed in water depths of up to 56m.
John Hill, Beatrice’s Project Director, said: “We often talk about key milestones along a project’s journey, and Beatrice has had quite a few to date, but to see the first turbine turning in the Moray Firth and to have reached first power safely, ahead of programme and on budget is a fantastic achievement for everyone connected to the project. The project has already brought several benefits to the local community, the UK supply chain and, once completed, Beatrice will make a significant contribution to Scotland’s ambitious renewable energy targets.”
Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Limited is a joint venture partnership between SSE (40%), Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (35%) and Red Rock Power Limited (25%). (Source: Beatrice Offshore Windfarm)