ScottishPower Renewables and Masdar have completed the installation of all 95 foundations for the East Anglia THREE offshore wind farm off the Suffolk coast in the United Kingdom, marking a major engineering milestone in the £4 billion project. The wind farm is targeted to enter full operation by the end of 2026, with a production capacity of up to 1.4 gigawatts of locally generated clean electricity.
The achievement includes the installation of monopiles, each weighing between 1,200 and 1,800 tonnes and measuring between 67 and 84 metres in height, with diameters reaching 10.6 metres. According to the companies, these are the largest monopiles installed from a self-propelled jack-up vessel in Europe.
Foundation Completion Paves the Way for the Next Stages
Installation of all 95 transition pieces has also been completed. Each component is 20 metres high, 8 metres in diameter and weighs more than 400 tonnes. Seaway7 is carrying out the foundation installation work, marking the first complete installation campaign for its self-propelled jack-up vessel, Seaway Ventus.
In parallel with the completion of the foundations, turbine installation has begun, while offshore and onshore construction work and the installation of inter-array cables will continue over the coming months. ScottishPower Renewables said installation of the 95 turbines is more than halfway complete, using 115-metre blades that, according to the company, are the largest of their kind to be built and used in the United Kingdom.
What Does the Project Mean in Practice?
Once operational, East Anglia THREE will generate enough clean electricity to supply more than 1.3 million homes in the United Kingdom. The milestone therefore represents more than progress in construction work; it brings the project closer to adding a major renewable energy source to the British electricity system, with a stated contribution to strengthening energy security and meeting rising demand for electricity.
The project is being developed as a joint venture between ScottishPower and Masdar and is Masdar’s first 50:50 offshore wind project in the United Kingdom. It is also the second project being delivered under the €15 billion strategic partnership between Masdar and Iberdrola, and the first project the company has undertaken with ScottishPower in the United Kingdom.
Economic Impact and Local Supply Chain
ScottishPower Renewables says the project is directing nearly £2 billion into the United Kingdom’s local supply chain, including foundation design by Wood Thilsted, the manufacture of turbine blades at Siemens Gamesa’s factory in Hull, the chartering of vessels from NR Marine Services and OEG in Norfolk, and marine weather and seabed consultancy services from Partrac.
The project is expected to support 2,300 jobs during the construction period and provide approximately 100 long-term jobs in the east of England after operations begin. This forms part of a project that ScottishPower describes as the largest wind farm it has delivered to date, while project teams continue cable and installation work to reach the targeted operational date at the end of 2026.