ScottishPower Renewables has contracted marine engineering specialist Van Oord and Great Yarmouth-based Seajacks to transport and install the foundation jackets on the East Anglia One offshore wind farm.
The main installation vessel will be Seajacks Scylla. The contract should support 140 current positions with Seajacks, and allows the company to create up to 75 new jobs.
Seajacks will recruit at least 5 new local apprentices as part of the contract, which will see the Scylla vessel engaged on the project for at least six months, starting in April 2018. Scylla has 105 meters long legs, and is capable of working in water depths of up to 65 meters. Deck space is 5000 square metres and it has a load capacity of just under 9000 tonnes.
Standing over 65 metres tall, and weighing more than 845 tonnes, the three-legged steel jacket structures support the turbine towers, nacelle and blades.
East Anglia One is a £2.5 billion offshore wind farm located in the southern North Sea, approximately 45 kilometers off southeast of the town of Lowestoft. It will generate 714MW of electricity when completed in 2020, enough to power 500,000 homes per year. ScottishPower Renewables is on target to deliver more than 50% of UK content across the life of the project.
Jonathan Cole , managing director of Offshore Wind at ScottishPower Renewables, said: “Seajacks are a world-leading offshore installation company who are based in East Anglia, so we are especially pleased that we were able to secure their services for our project. The additional jobs and training opportunities that this contract will create locally is important for our project.
“East Anglia One continues to make excellent progress. We are now starting preparations for the onshore work, as well as ensuring all of the plans are in place for the offshore work. The project will be the best value offshore windfarm ever constructed, at the same time as delivering industry-leading levels of UK content. We are proud that the project is encouraging investment and supporting highly skilled jobs in Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft, Hull and Belfast.”