Over the recent period a number of offshore wind projects have been gathering pace and the next one in line is the Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) offshore wind farm that has seen the first of 54 nacelles arrive at its Port of Dundee marshalling yard delivered by Rotra Vente. Another milestone for the project was the pre-assembly of the first turbine towers on land.

The Siemens Gamesa turbine towers being assembled at the Port of Dundee, will tower 87.5 metres above the ground, ahead of load out. This, and the arrival of the first eight nacelles (which sit atop each turbine tower and contain the generators), moves the project nearer to completion, NnG said.

The first load out of turbine towers, nacelles and blades for transportation to the site of the 450 megawatt offshore wind farm 15.5 km off the coast of Fife is scheduled for July, followed by the installation of NnG’s first fully assembled wind turbine out at sea, also planned for July.

NnG Project Director, Matt Haag, said, “The construction of the first turbine towers last week was a wonderful sight and the arrival of the first nacelles demonstrates the sheer scale of this project. We look forward to the construction of the first turbine on-site next month after which, once commissioned, NnG can start supplying clean, green electricity to the grid.”

NnG project

NnG, which is owned by EDF Renewables UK and ESB, will supply enough low carbon electricity for around 375,000* homes and has a capacity of around 450MW of low carbon energy. It will offset over 400,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year. The project will be fully operational in 2024.

The NnG turbine towers – each comprising three sections and weighing in at 370 tonnes – have been visible to local people for months, being stored on their sides within the Port alongside the 81-metre-long turbine blades, which each weigh 27 tonnes. Each of the nacelles is 9.2 metres tall – equivalent to a three storey building – and weighs over 350 tonnes.