Construction at the Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind farm kicked off with the installation of first wind turbine jacket foundation.

Following the arrival of the first 10 steel jackets on site, some 15.5 kilometres off the East coast of Scotland, Saipem, through its subcontractor Heerema, lifted the first steel wind turbine jacket into place, lowering it on to pre-installed piles on the seabed.

The Normand Navigator offshore support vessel then moved into position to undertake subsea grouting and inspections to conclude the installation.

Matthias Haag, NnG Project Director, said, “The installation of the first of a total of 54 turbine jacket foundations is a significant milestone for the NnG project and builds on the progress of the first of two offshore electricity substations installed in June this year. The collaborative effort in installing the jacket was a great success and we remain on course for the others to be installed over the coming months.”

NnG, jointly owned by EDF Renewables and ESB, will supply enough low carbon electricity for around 375,000 homes and has a capacity of c. 450 megawatts (MW) of low carbon energy and will offset over 400,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year.

The first turbines are planned to be operational in mid-2023, with completion of the entire wind farm scheduled for 2024.