Building Scotland's largest offshore wind farm
Overview
The Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm is under construction around 27km from the coast of Angus in the North Sea.
A joint venture between TotalEnergies (51%) and SSE Renewables (49%), Seagreen will be Scotland’s largest and the world's deepest fixed foundation offshore wind farm once complete.
Seagreen was consented with permission to install 150 offshore wind turbines.
114 turbines are currently being installed with a total installed generating capacity of 1,075MW and will be fully operational in Q2 2023. First power was achieved in August 2022 and is exported to the grid via a new substation at Tealing near Dundee.
The 114 turbines will provide enough green energy to power more than 1.6 million homes, equivalent to two-thirds of all Scottish homes. They will also displace over 2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from electricity generated by fossil fuels every year – similar to removing more than a third of all of Scotland’s annual car emissions and making a significant contribution to Scotland’s net-zero ambition by 2045*.
The remaining 36 offshore wind turbines are consented but not yet constructed. The power will be exported to the grid via Cockenzie, East Lothian. Information relating to this connection can be found here.
In January 2022 we submitted a Screening Report to Marine Scotland to increase the size of the 36 consented turbines. You can find out more about this Screening Report by clicking here.
Fast facts
114 wind turbines under construction
Will power more than 1.6m homes
Operational base in Port of Montrose
Located 27km from Angus coast
First power generated in August 2022
Fully operational in Q2 2023
Location
A joint venture partnership
Seagreen is a offshore wind farm development owned by SSE Renewables (49%) and TotalEnergies (51%).
SSE Renewables is leading the development and construction of the joint venture project, supported by TotalEnergies, and will operate Seagreen on completion.
First power is expected by Q3 2022 with the offshore wind farm expected to enter commercial operation in Q2 2023.
Delivering economic benefit
Seagreen is delivering significant economic benefit to Scotland and the UK. It is helping power a green, economic recovery and supporting high value green jobs in Scotland, including direct, contractor and supply chain roles.
At Global Energy Group’s Port of Nigg near Inverness, Seagreen is supporting 141 skilled jobs associated with the marshalling, storage and logistics for the 114 turbine jacket foundations.
The 141 peak construction jobs will include work for 93 permanent roles already on-site as well as the creation of an additional 48 new roles at the port, delivering a green jobs boost to the Scottish Highlands.
The Seagreen Operations and Maintenance (O&M) base at Montrose is complete and was built by local Angus contractors Pert-Bruce who included a number of apprentices in its workforce as part of the works. The building was formerly in use in Aberdeen and the adjacent radio mast was formerly in use at another offshore wind farm development.
Once Seagreen is commissioned, the O&M base in Montrose will be home to approximately 80 full-time (direct) operational roles including up to 60 Vestas personnel maintaining the turbines both from the O&M base and offshore service operations vessels. There will also be a significant number of indirect roles and specialised contractors supporting Seagreen and the O&M base throughout the life of the wind farm.
Section 36C application (May 2022)
Seagreen Wind Energy Limited (SWEL) has made a formal application to vary the existing Seagreen Alpha and Bravo section 36 consents under section 36C of the Electricity Act 1989 (as amended). SWEL has also requested that the associated marine licences are varied at the same time under section 72 of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 and section 30 of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010.
SWEL is principally proposing to vary the existing consents to allow for changes to parameters of the consented but not constructed 36 wind turbine generators associated with the Seagreen Project. Varied parameters include an increase in rotor diameter, blade chord width, maximum and minimum tip height and hub height. No changes to piling parameters are included in the proposed variation. SWEL are also proposing to vary the existing consents to allow for an increase in steel seabed deposits.
To find out more about the application and how to make representations, please click here.
