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ScottishPower has officially launched offshore construction on its largest renewables project to date—the £4 billion East Anglia THREE offshore wind farm—with the successful installation of the first monopile foundation.
Standing 83.89 meters tall, 10.6 meters in diameter, and weighing 1,800 tonnes, the monopile sets a new European offshore wind industry record as the largest ever installed from a jack-up vessel. The milestone was achieved using the Seaway Ventus jack-up installation vessel, which deployed the foundation manufactured by Joint Venture Navantia Seanergies Windar Renovables (JVNW).
East Anglia THREE will feature a total of 95 monopiles, with JVNW producing 45 and the remaining 50 being manufactured by Haizea. Each monopile will range from 67 to 85 meters in length, measure up to 10.6 meters in diameter, and weigh between 1,200 and 1,800 tonnes.
Once completed, the 1.4GW wind farm—part of both ScottishPower’s and parent company Iberdrola’s largest renewables portfolios—will consist of 95 Siemens Gamesa 14.7MW turbines. Together, they will generate enough clean electricity to power more than 1.3 million homes.
The first transition piece, produced by Windar Renovables, has also been installed. Each transition piece is 20 meters tall, 8 meters in diameter, and weighs over 400 tonnes.
Seaway7 is responsible for installing all monopiles and transition pieces for the project. To support this effort, the Seaway Ventus has been outfitted with a custom-built mission equipment spread—designed, fabricated, and integrated in under two years—to meet the project’s schedule and technical demands.
Installation of all turbines is scheduled for completion by early 2026.
Charlie Jordan, ScottishPower Renewables CEO, said: “The installation of our first East Anglia THREE foundation is a real wow moment for both ScottishPower and Iberdrola. It represents a mammoth feat of engineering, skill and a huge amount of work. We’re talking an incredible 1800 tonnes of steel, safely and securely lifted and then precisely placed in the exact spot in an area the size of almost 43,000 football pitches. We’ve never built anything of this scale before!
“East Anglia THREE will be the biggest-ever windfarm across the whole of the Iberdrola group and the second largest in the world when it comes into operation. To visibly see it starting to take shape in the North Sea is a real milestone moment and definitely something to be proud of. This project is a fantastic example of how we’re generating more secure, green electricity for the UK; investing in the country’s clean energy future; and supporting jobs and opportunities for decades to come.”
