Milestone for Moray West wind farm as first giant 108m turbine blade completed
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THE first of the giant 108m-long turbine blades for the new Moray West offshore wind farm has been completed.
Manufactured in Hull, the blades are the largest being made in the UK, even longer than the Hampden Park football pitch.
Siemens Gamesa welcomed Gareth Davies MP, Exchequer Secretary to the UK Treasury and the team from project developer Ocean Winds, to present the first 108-metre-long wind turbine blades for the wind farm, which will sit 22km off the Moray coast.
In total, 180 blades for the project's 60 turbines will be manufactured in Hull, following the completion of a huge expansion to the factory, which enables the facility to make larger blades. Ocean Winds made funding commitments to Siemens Gamesa to enable the expanded facility at Hull to be ready to manufacture the new blades to meet the exacting project programme.
The blades will be the longest being utilised in a UK offshore wind farm, with the Moray West project able to generate over 880 MW, capable of powering 1.3 million homes with clean energy.
Construction of Moray West is already under way. The turbines will start being installed during 2024, with the wind farm due to be completed in 2025. Recently Siemens Energy and Smulders Projects UK, successfully loaded out the last of the project’s Offshore Transformer Modules (OTM®), which will collect power from Moray West’s 60 wind turbines.
Mr Davies said: “As world leaders in clean energy, we are taking significant action to encourage investment in renewable energy generation, one of our priority growth sectors.
“This impressive site in Hull is not only important in bolstering the UK’s capabilities to produce clean energy but supports over 1000 jobs, attracts investment to our coastal communities and helps us achieve net zero.”
Adam Morrison, Ocean Winds UK Country Manager, commented: “This is a fantastic milestone in our close working with Siemens Gamesa on our journey to commission these huge next-generation wind turbines.
“With each blade slightly longer than an international football pitch the scale of the engineering is impressive. We now look forward to ensuring the same high quality and high safety standards are achieved across all the wind turbine components prior to marshalling and pre-assembly in the north of Scotland, ready for installation of this class leading technology in 2024.
"The Moray West project is delighted to support the new investment at the Hull facility by Siemens Gamesa.”
Clark MacFarlane, UK Managing Director, Siemens Gamesa, added: “This is another significant milestone not just for the team in Hull, the Moray West project, but also the wider UK renewables industry.
“The growth in offshore wind turbine technology is only possible due to our people and their amazing efforts to keep delivering the solutions to our current and future energy needs.”
For more information, visit www.oceanwinds.com
