ScottishPower Renewables has signed a contract to install foundations and inner-array cables for the East Anglia THREE windfarm with Seaway7, part of the Subsea7 Group. The project will see the world’s second largest turbine cluster begin generating in 2026.
Located in the southern North Sea, 69 kilometres off Suffolk, development of East Anglia THREE is budgeted at £1.3 billion.
Its 95 turbines, each rated at 14.7MW, will have a combined capacity of 1,400MW, pumping enough green electricity to power a notional 1.3 million homes.
Confirmation of the contract last week comes a year after the parties’ preferred bidder engagement was announced.
Britain is among nine European nations who agreed in April to multiply current wind power capacity in the North Sea eightfold, reaching 300 GW by mid-century. Their joint interim goal is 120GW by 2030.
East Anglia THREE will support over 2,300 jobs during its two years of construction. A further 100-plus roles will endure in operating and maintaining the windfarm over its lifetime.
Seaway7’s confirmed responsibilities in the giant undertaking include installing 95 monopile foundations, preparing the seabed, and provisioning and connecting cables within the array. Seaway7 will contribute its heavy-lifting ships.
Seaway7’s offices in Aberdeen and Sutton, Surrey will advance the work. Following initial engineering preparation already under way, offshore activities are due to begin next year.
Ross Ovens, ScottishPower Renewables’ managing director in charge, said: “It’s fantastic to confirm this major contract with Seaway7 for East Anglia THREE, which will be our biggest operational offshore windfarm in the UK and the second largest in the world when it starts generating green electricity in 2026.
“We’ve been moving at pace to put all the building blocks in place to ensure East Anglia THREE can get to work as quickly as possible. We’re already seeing the long-lasting legacy in East Anglia ONE, which came into operation in 2020”.
For Seaway7, CEO Stuart Fitzgerald answered: “This award builds upon our leading position in the UK market.
“The installation of both foundation and inner-array cables, combined with use of heavy duty vessels, is further testimony to the range of capabilities Seaway7 has secured across the value chain.
“We look forward to building our relationship with ScottishPower Renewables as, together, we deliver one of the world’s largest offshore wind complexes, representing a significant contribution to the UK’s renewable target.”
