Vital deal in place for giant Iberdrola UK offshore wind farm
East Anglia 3 nails down foundation installation contract with Seaway 7 as project prepares for 2026 operations
Oslo-based Seaway7 has won a "very large" contract for the transport and installation of foundations and inter-array cables for the UK’s East Anglia 3 offshore wind farm currently under development in the North Sea by ScottishPower Renewables.
The 1.4GW East Anglia 3, located 69km off the English east coast and covering a total area of 305 square km, is due to enter into operation in 2026.
Its 95 14.7MW Siemens Gamesa wind turbines will generate enough green electricity to power the equivalent of more than 1.3 million homes, according to a statement by Seaway 7.
The project will feature a single offshore converter station and four subsea export cables to transmit electricity to shore, according to ScottishPower Renewables, the UK arm of global green power giant Iberdrola.
Seaway7, the renewables subsidiary of offshore oil and gas contractor Subsea 7, described the contract as “very large” which, in the company’s own lexicon, sits in a range of $500-$750m in terms of backlog value.
Seaway7's scope of work includes the transport, logistics and installation of 95 monopile foundations and associated seabed preparation along with the engineering, supply and installation of the 95 inner-array cables.
The contractor said it will deploy its heavy lifting and cable lay vessels, and also utilise its heavy transportation fleet, working mainly out of its Aberdeen and Sutton offices in the UK.
The project will progress from early engineering works throughout 2023 with offshore activities scheduled to commence in 2024.
Ross Ovens, ScottishPower Renewables' managing director for the East Anglia Hub offshore windfarms, said: "We've been moving at pace to put all the building blocks in place to ensure East Anglia 3 can get to work as quickly as possible".
Stuart Fitzgerald, CEO Seaway7, added: "The integrated nature of the award, combining the installation of both foundation and inner-array cables, as well as the utilisation of our heavy transportation vessels, is further testimony to the range of capabilities we have secured across the complete value chain”.
The award comes a year after Seaway 7 emerged as preferred bidder following a competitive tender.
Attention has focused mainly on wind turbines and foundations, but capacity for cable-laying and transportation is also tightening.
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