4C Offshore Empowering Intelligence

First blade ready for East Anglia ONE

4C Offshore | Tom Russell
By: Tom Russell 12/02/2019 ScottishPower Renewables
Production of the first wind turbine blade for the East Anglia ONE offshore wind farm has been completed. The project is located 43km off the Suffolk coast and is being realised solely by ScottishPower Renewables.

The fibreglass blade has been manufactured by Siemens Gamesa at its factory at Green Port Hull, and is the first of 306 that will be manufactured at the site for the project.

Inspection of the blade and sign-off were completed on 7 February by the East Anglia ONE project team. The blades are comparable in length to the wingspan of an Airbus A380. Their production forms part of the contract between project developer ScottishPower Renewables and turbine manufacturer Siemens Gamesa to manufacture and install a total of 102 turbines.

Charlie Jordan, East Anglia ONE Project Director for ScottishPower Renewables, said: “The manufacture of the first blade from Hull is a fantastic milestone in the development of our windfarm, signalling the start of turbine installation.

“East Anglia ONE will soon be producing clean, renewable energy for the UK, helping to meet the nation’s carbon reduction targets.

“The fabrication of the blades from Siemens Gamesa’s facility in Hull further demonstrates our commitment to spending over 50 percent of the project investment in the UK, ensuring the benefits of East Anglia ONE are felt across the country.”


Following production at the £160 million Green Port factory, the blades will be shipped down the coast to Great Yarmouth, where the turbine components will be pre-assembled following a £5 million co-investment to prepare Peel Ports Great Yarmouth for construction and installation activities.

Andrew Elmes, Project Manager for Siemens Gamesa, commented:“We are proud to work alongside ScottishPower Renewables in delivering clean energy for the future. The East Anglia ONE offshore windfarm is a world-leading project to be a part of, providing a significant boost to the UK economy and it’s extra special to be able to support it from our amazing factory in Hull.”

This announcement follows ScottishPower Renewables’ £25 million investment in the Port of Lowestoft, with the construction of an operations and maintenance building. The base at Associated British Ports’ Hamilton Dock, Lowestoft will see 100 full-time employees manage the day-to-day operations and maintenance activities for East Anglia ONE.

The £2.5bn
East Anglia ONE wind farm is the first of four projects in the East Anglia region to begin construction. The 714MW array is scheduled to be fully commissioned in 2020 and is expected to meet the energy demands of 500,000 British households annually.
Yesterday
4C reported that Siemens Gamesa has contracted wind turbine installation and service company Global Wind Service to assemble all towers for East Anglia ONE offshore wind farm in the UK.

For more information on the construction of offshore wind farms,
click here.

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