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'Wow moment' as work begins on offshore wind farm

Andrew Turner
BBC News, East of England
Scottish Power Renewables A close up image of Seaway Ventus is what is known as a 'jack up barge' and this image shows the vessel raised out of the sea on four legs. On the deck among the superstructure is a giant crane, which has a line attached and is installing the first turbine 'monopile' into the sea bed. This steel structure is grey, and tubular. There is a second crane and other infrastructure and equipment on the deck.Scottish Power Renewables
ScottishPower Renewables chief executive officer Charlie Jordan described it as a "milestone"

The installation of an offshore wind farm's first turbine foundation has been described as a "real wow moment".

ScottishPower Renewables announced the construction milestone had been reached at East Anglia Three, being built 69km (43 miles) off the coast of Norfolk and Suffolk.

The £4bn ($5.3bn) wind farm will have 95 turbines, each almost 84-m (275-ft) tall.

We take a closer look at the project, which will feature the largest turbines in Europe installed by a jack-up barge, which has movable legs attached to the hull.

Scottish Power Renewables A vessel, called Seaway Ventus, is what is known as a 'jack up barge' and this image shows the vessel raised out of the sea on four legs. On the deck among the superstructure is a giant crane, which has a line attached and is installing the first turbine 'monopile' into the sea bed. This steel structure is grey, and tubular. There is a second such structure on the barge deck.Scottish Power Renewables
The first of 95 turbine foundations has been installed in the East Anglia Three wind farm zone

How many homes will it power?

ScottishPower Renewables said each turbine used up to 1,800 tonnes of steel and each had to be lifted and precisely placed in an area with a total size of almost 43,000 football pitches.

They will generate 1,400 megawatts (MW) of electricity, equivalent to powering more than 1.3 million homes.

Charlie Jordan, chief executive officer, said the installation of the first foundation was a "real wow moment".

"It represents a mammoth feat of engineering, skill and a huge amount of work," he said.

"We've never built anything of this scale before.

"To visibly see it starting to take shape in the North Sea is a real milestone moment and definitely something to be proud of."

Luke Martin Photography A drone photograph of a turbine at Scroby Sands wind farm, with a charred gearbox and generator housing and a fire and plume of black and grey smoke from the farthest turbine blade. The image shows the sea, and another of the turbines, unaffected by the fire.Luke Martin Photography
One of the 30 turbines at a wind farm off Scroby Sands, near Great Yarmouth, caught fire in August 2023

How does it compare to the earliest offshore wind farms?

In 2004, a wind farm was built off the coast of Great Yarmouth at Scroby Sands.

It was only the second offshore wind farm in the UK.

The turbines there are much smaller, generating just one-seventh of the electricity of the giants of East Anglia Three.

Scroby was capable of generating 60MW across its array of 30 turbines, enough power for 48,000 homes.

In 2023, one of the turbines caught fire.

Its charred blades and gearbox housing are still visible. It is due to be dismantled later this year.

Scottish Power Renewables A vessel, called Seaway Ventus is what is known as a 'jack up barge' and this image shows the vessel raised out of the sea on four legs. On the deck is a giant crane which has a line attached. It is installing the first turbine 'monopile' into the sea bed. This steel structure is grey, and tubular. There is a second such structure on the barge deck. A smaller boat is visible nearby, dwarfed in contrast by the size of the Seaway Ventus.Scottish Power Renewables
The wind farm will be capable of generating 1,400MW of electricity, enough to power 1.3m homes

How do you install giant turbines?

Project partner Seaway7 is installing all 95 of East Anglia Three's turbine towers.

Its Seaway Ventus jack-up vessel has been fitted with custom-built equipment.

Seaway 7 executive Lloyd Duthie said he was proud the first foundation was in.

"This achievement comes after two years of preparation, resulting in Seaway Ventus installing the largest monopile from a jack-up vessel in Europe.

"It really is testament to the scale of engineering that can be achieved together with partners across the supply chain."

How many jobs is it creating?

ScottishPower Renewables said East Anglia Three will support thousands of supply-chain jobs during its development and construction.

That includes 100 in Lowestoft throughout the 25-year operational lifetime of the wind farm.

ScottishPower Renewables has invested £120,000 on science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) education in the region, pledging to help 8,000 students over the next three years.

Around 180 trainee-ships, which will include apprentice and graduate opportunities, will be created.

Great Yarmouth-based Stowen was awarded a contract with East Anglia Three to provide construction support.

Roles include project managers, off-shore technicians and warehouse managers.

Kieron Ford, chief operating officer, said 12 full-time personnel would grow to about 20 who would be offshore for Stowen at any one time.

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