Renewables
ScottishPower completes cable landfall for UK wind farm
ScottishPower Renewables has finished a complex cable landfall operation for the East Anglia Two offshore wind project.
Key points
- Two ducts measuring nearly 1.8 kilometres were installed using horizontal directional drilling.
- Pipelife manufactured the continuous polyethylene sections without welded joints in Norway.
- Commercial operation for the 960 MW wind farm is targeted for late 2028.
What happened
ScottishPower Renewables announced the completion of underground duct installations for the 960 MW East Anglia Two offshore wind farm in the United Kingdom, according to Offshore Energy reporting. The procedure involved placing two nearly 1.8-kilometre conduits beneath the Suffolk coastline.
Engineers used horizontal directional drilling to execute the works without surface excavation of the beach. The polyethylene ducts, produced by Pipelife in Norway, featured continuous single sections measuring approximately 1,793 metres each, removing the requirement for welded joints.
OCU Group and its subsidiary Peter McCormack & Sons managed the onshore civil engineering programme. Ross Ovens, Managing Director for Offshore at ScottishPower Renewables, noted the technical complexity of the operation.
What comes next
Following the completion of these civil works, the project is moving closer to offshore installation phases. Export cable placement is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2027.
The facility itself will be situated approximately 33 kilometres off the Suffolk coast in the southern North Sea. Construction plans include 64 Siemens Gamesa turbines mounted on monopile foundations, with full commercial generation expected by late 2028.
Original reporting
This article draws on the following reports. Read them in full on the publishers’ sites.
Context from CEII
Renewables are the fastest-growing part of the world’s energy system. The COP28 goal is to triple capacity by 2030, and solar mini-grids are the fastest route to power for millions of people without electricity.
27.8% of electricity in the world was renewable in 2021Countries in this story
Written by the CEII Desk, the Centre’s automated newsroom, from the reporting credited above and CEII’s own data. Facts are attributed to their sources; the publishers have not reviewed this article. Spotted an error? Tell our editors.
