The Anonymous Widower

1.1 GW Inch Cape Wind Farm Entering Offshore Construction Phase

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.

This is the sub-heading.

ESB and Red Rock Renewables have reached a financial close on the 1,080 MW Inch Cape offshore wind farm in Scotland, and the project will now progress into its offshore construction phase.

Inch Cape will be a 1.1 GW wind farm, which as this web site/data sheet shows could be capable of generating enough green energy to power more than half of Scotland’s homes.

Highlights from the data sheet include.

  • Represents an around £3 billion investment in the UK’s electrical infrastructure
  • Will contribute significantly to the UK Government’s target of 50 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind installed capacity by 2030
  • Constitutes 10% of the Scottish Government’s ambition of 11 GW of offshore wind installed by 2030
  • As at Q1 2025, has already invested almost £300 million with 300 UK companies (more than £100 million in Scotland with 120 Scottish companies)
  • Is set to spend a further (approx.) £700 million with UK supply chain (and create associated direct and indirect jobs)
  • Efficient re-use of a brownfield site in East Lothian (of former coal-fired power station) including existing grid capacity and established transmission infrastructure
  • The offshore substation is being built by Siemnens and Smulders at Wallsend on Tyneside.
  • On track to deliver at least 50% UK content over life cycle of the project
  • Will mean large investment in a new facility in the Port of Montrose and more than 50 long-term skilled local jobs
  • Once operational the wind farm will reduce carbon emissions by 2.5 million tonnes per year compared to using fossil-fuels.

I like this project.

  • It has a capacity of 1.1 GW.
  • The turbines are 15 MW Vestas units.
  • The connection to the grid is at the site of the demolished Cockenzie coal-fired power station.
  • 50 % of the content of the £ 3 million project is British, spread among three hundred companies. That is certainly spreading the money around.
  • I calculate that, when the turbines are fully turning, the Inch Cape wind farm will generate £ 44, 201.38 per hour or just over a million pounds per day.

I suspect we will be seeing lots more wind farms like this in the next thirty or forty years.

These are currently under construction.

  • Neart Na Gaoithe – Scotland – 450 MW
  • Sofia – England – 1400 MW
  • Dogger Bank A – England – 1235 MW
  • Dogger Bank B – England – 1235 MW
  • Dogger Bank C – England – 1218 MW
  • Moray West – Scotland – 882 MW
  • East Anglia 3 – England – 1372 MW
  • Total – 7792 MW

These are pre-construction.

  • Hornsea 3 – England – 2852 vMW
  • Inch Cape – Scotland – 1080 MW
  • Total – 3932 MW

These are proposed wind farms – Contracts for difference Round 4

  • Norfolk Boreas – Round 1 – 1380 MW
  • Total – 1380 MW

These are proposed wind farms – Contracts for difference Round 6

  • Hornsea 4 – England – 2400 MW
  • East Anglia 2 – England – 963 MW
  • Greeen Volt – Scotland – 400 MW
  • Total – 3763 MW

These are proposed wind farms – Early Planning

  • East Anglia 1 North – England – 800 MW
  • Rampion 2 Extension – England – 1200 MW
  • Norfolk Vanguard East – 1380 MW
  • Norfolk Vanguard West – 1380 MW
  • Dogger Bank South – England – 3000 MW
  • Awel y Môr – Wales – 500 MW
  • Five Estuaries – England – 353 MW
  • North Falls – England – 504 MW
  • Dogger Bank D – England – 1320 MW
  • Berwick Bank – Scotland – 4100 MW
  • Seagreen Phase 1A – Scotland – 500 MW
  • Outer Dowsing – England – 1500 MW
  • Morecambe – England – 480 MW
  • Mona – England – 1500 MW
  • Morgan – England – 1500 MW
  • Morven – England – 2907 MW
  • Ossian – Scotland – 3610 MW
  • Bellrock – Scotland – 1200 MW
  • CampionWind – Scotland – 2000 MW
  • Muir Mhòr – Scotland – 798 MW
  • Bowdun – Scotland – 1008 MW
  • Ayre – Scotland – 1008 MW
  • Broadshore – Scotland – 900 MW
  • Caledonia – Scotland – 2000 MW
  • Stromar – Scotland – 1000 MW
  • MarramWind – Scotland – 3000 MW
  • Buchan – Scotland – 960 MW
  • West of Orkney – Scotland – 2000 MW
  • Havbredey – Scotland – 1500 MW
  • N3 Project – Scotland – 495 MW
  • Spiorad na Mara – Scotland – 840 MW
  • MachairWind – Scotland – 2000 MW
  • Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon Extensions – England – 719 MW
  • Llŷr 1 – Wales – 100 MW
  • Llŷr 2 – Wales – 100 MW
  • Whitecross – England – 100 MW
  • Total – 48262 MW
  • Grand Total – 57337 MW

57337 MW would have enough electricity left over to replace Germany’s gas.

 

 

 

 

 

January 27, 2025 Posted by | Energy | , , , , , | 2 Comments