In the Moray Firth, located in northern Scotland, the 60th and final Siemens Gamesa SG 14-222 DD wind turbine has been successfully installed on the Ocean Winds’ Moray West project. Supplied with “Power Boost”, each turbine can generate up to 14.7 MW output, making them the largest offshore commercial turbines in Europe.
The 882 MW wind farm is nearing the end of the construction phase and will become fully operational during 2025 in line with the originally projected commercial operations date. When Moray West comes online, Ocean Winds will be the largest offshore wind operator in Scotland.
The Moray West project, under the stewardship of Ocean Winds, has been remarkable in achieving this milestone in line with the project program, delivering against a very rigorous timeline and the varied challenges of extreme weather, grid connection and supply chain constraints.
The pre-assembly activity of the 60 turbines has been managed by Siemens Gamesa, Siemens Energy’s wind business, who also manufactured all the 180 blades for the project at their facility in Hull, UK. The Hull site has recruited more than 600 people in the last 12 months, and now employs around 1,300 people.
Siemens Gamesa has been marshalling all turbine components at Port of Nigg from where the Cadeler heavy lift vessel Wind Orca undertook the installation. Siemens Gamesa’s technicians on land and on board the vessel has overseen each installation and are in the process of commissioning each turbine.
Following installation of all primary project components across foundations, the offshore and onshore substations, array and export cables and now the wind turbines—the project continues its commissioning and testing phase before full acceptance of the project in 2025.
Moray West, part of Ocean Winds’ 6GW portfolio of secured offshore wind farms in the UK, is expected to inject over £800 million in the local Scottish economy throughout its lifespan, and during construction phases it will create more than 1,500 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) years in Scotland, with more than 60 direct long-term operational roles based in Buckie. More than half of the investment and operating costs of Moray West will benefit the UK economy, underlining Ocean Winds’ commitment to local supply chains.
