The Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) offshore wind farm, under construction 15 kilometres off the coast of Fife, has achieved another major milestone with first turbine components arriving to the Port of Dundee.

The first components for the project arrived to the Port of Dundee onboard the 12 000 dwt, Type 176 multipurpose vessel Anne-Sofie. A total of 72 turbine tower sections, and 36 blades, are due to travel up the River Tay by barge in March and be brought alongside the new DunEco quay. They will be imported onto Scotland’s brand new custom built Wind Turbine Marshalling facility. Over the following months the tower sections will be assembled into 24 turbine towers, each 90 metres in height. The blades, each 83.5 metres in length, will be stored at the Port of Dundee prior to their shipment to site.

The Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) offshore wind farm, which has both a local and global supply chain, has been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic both in Europe and in the Far East, resulting in a delay to its commissioning. The new Contract for Difference (CfD) start date is June 2024. Despite this delay construction continues on this major infrastructure project for Scotland.

Over the next few months, a total of 162 tower sections; 162 blades; and 54 nacelles will be delivered from turbine manufacturer, Siemens Gamesa. NnG’s 54 turbine towers will be assembled at the Port of Dundee before being placed on a specialist wind turbine installation vessel alongside nacelles and turbine blades which will transport them to, and install, the turbines at the site of the offshore wind farm.

NnG’s two offshore substations will soon be commissioned and energised with further drilling, piling and grouting work on the foundations carried out. The 54 jackets, on which the turbines will sit, will be installed in 2023 before installation of the turbines.

Onshore, the project’s new substation will be finished in 2022 as will the new Operations and Maintenance Building at Eyemouth in the Scottish Borders where there will be 50 new jobs.

The first turbines will be operational in time for the wind farm to begin generating power in 2023, with completion scheduled for 2024.

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