First power produced from Scotland's 1.1-GW Seagreen offshore wind farm

The 1.1-GW Seagreen complex in Scotland, set to become the country’s largest offshore wind farm, has generated electricity for the first time, project owners SSE Renewables and TotalEnergies (EPA:TTE) said today.

In the early hours of Monday morning power was produced from the first of 114 Vestas turbines that will form the huge complex off the Angus Coast in the Firth of Forth. When the remaining V164-10.0 MW machines are switched on, the 1,075-MW plant in the UK North Sea will be capable of generating around 5 GWh of electricity annually, equal to the power consumption of around 1.6 million homes.

The Seagreen park is scheduled to be fully operational in the first half of 2023, becoming the world’s deepest fixed-bottom offshore wind farm, installed in 59 metres of water depth. Its turbines will be mounted on three-legged jacket foundations.

Seagreen's output will be sold through corporate power purchase agreements (CPPAs) that will be awarded in competitive tenders. Business customers will be able to buy power in blocks of 20 MW or 100 GWh per year under five-year contracts.

SSE Renewables is the developer of the GBP-3-billion (USD 3.52bn/EUR 3.55bn) project, while TotalEnergies joined in the summer of 2020 when it agreed to buy a 51% interest in the scheme. The unit of UK utility SSE plc (SSE:LON) will handle the wind farm's operations.

(GBP 1.0 = USD 1.175/EUR 1.185)

Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!