Work has been completed at the largest offshore windfarm in Scotland.
After three years of work, developers said the last of the 84 turbines at Beatrice has now been installed on time and under budget.
The project in the Outer Moray Firth, around eight miles off the coast of Caithness, has enough capacity to generate clean energy for more than 450,000 homes.
Last month, SSE confirmed that the project would create up to 90 full time jobs once completed, with the majority being based in Wick.
Each of the 84 turbines stand taller than the London Eye, at 188metres from sea level to blade tip.
Jim Smith, managing director of SSE Renewables said: “Completing the offshore construction at Beatrice is a testament to the capabilities of SSE Renewables and our project partners.
“Delivering one of Scotland’s largest ever private investments on time and under budget is a fantastic achievement given its complexity and we would like to thank everyone who has helped us make the project a reality.”
SSE will manage operations and maintenance from a new base in Wick, which it said comes following an investment of more than £20m to redevelop the harbour front.
Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Limited (BOWL) is a joint venture between SSE Renewables (40%), Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (35%) and Red Rock Power (25%).
BOWL said more than £1.1billion of construction spend was in the UK, with around half of that in Scotland.
Did you know that at 188m from sea level to blade tip, @beatricewind stands taller than the London Eye and each blade is longer than an Airbus A380? #beatricebuilt #OffshoreWind pic.twitter.com/ZS6rrjenyn
— SSE Plc (@SSE) May 15, 2019
Those contracted included CS Wind’s Machrihanish factory, Global Energy Group’s Nigg Energy Park, Bi-Fab in Fife, Babcock Marine in Rosyth, JDR Cables in Hartlepool and Siemens Gamesa in Hull.
Beatrice is the largest windfarm in the world to use jacket foundations – weighing around 1,000tonnes each and installed in water depths of more than 56metres.
Scottish energy minister, Paul Wheelhouse, said: “The last of the 84 turbines being installed on Scotland’s first commercial scale offshore wind farm is an important landmark for offshore wind in Scottish waters and a fantastic achievement for SSE and its project partners.
“Projects like the 588MW Beatrice offshore wind farm will add to what is a growing industry for Scotland, and the project has already supported key supply chain businesses in Scotland, such as Global Energy Group, CS Wind and BiFab, among others.
“Projects such as this also have great potential for further economic benefit and job creation. The Scottish Government is determined to ensure the supply chain and economic benefits of this industry will be fully realised as we see consented sites built, and take forward further licensing opportunities to develop offshore wind in Scotland’s waters.”
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