Moray East Finalizes Offshore Wind Farm Piling Works

Moray East has completed offshore piling works on its 950MW offshore wind farm which is under construction in the Moray Firth off the North East coast of Scotland. 

Work to install the pin piles in the seabed started in May of last year, using the jack-up installation vessel ‘Apollo’ which worked out of Cromarty Firth Ports Authority’s onshore handling facilities at Invergordon.

The offshore wind farm will consist of 100 turbines and three offshore substation platforms.

Three pin-piles are thus required at the site of each turbine and substation platform, giving a total of 309.

Marcel Sunier, project director for Moray East, said: “The important first phase of offshore installation works have been completed safely and successfully without any major incidents. I would like to thank all those involved including our contractors, our suppliers, our local port facilities at Invergordon and the authorities.

“Although the piles are undersea, underground and unseen, they are the foundations on which the entire project’s success literally rests. The challenge of accurately driving 309 piles into the sea-bed, in water depths of circa 50 meters, more than 20 kilometers from shore in Scottish weather conditions cannot be understated.  

“The dynamics which make the Moray Firth a more challenging location for installation are the same dynamics which enable us to deliver high a volume of electricity at a record-low price.  The experience and expertise developed working in this challenging environment are vital resources for the UK’s journey to ‘Net Zero’.

“I look forward to the next stages of the project which will see the jackets and various turbine components begin to be marshaled at the local ports at Nigg and Invergordon prior to their installation as well as the installation of the three offshore substations, the inter array cables and the offshore export cable.”