ScottishPower Renewables has selected Siemens as its preferred turbine supplier for the East Anglia ONE offshore wind farm.
The turbine agreement, which will be the largest individual contract placed as part of the £2 billion project, will see up to 102 of Siemens’ 7 megawatt (MW) turbines supplied. As part of the agreement, Siemens will use their new facility in Hull for manufacturing the wind turbine blades for this project.
East Anglia ONE aims to create around 3,000 jobs in total, with up to half of these jobs supporting the turbine contract. The project is ScottishPower and Iberdrola’s third offshore wind farm and, when completed, will be able to power around 500,000 homes.
More than half of the project components and services will be made and sourced in the UK.
Michael Hannibal, CEO Offshore of Siemens Wind Power and Renewables Division , said: “Our advanced model of our proven Direct Drive wind turbine with an output of 7 MW will leverage the energy output of East Anglia One Offshore Wind Farm and contribute to lowering the cost of electricity. We will manufacture the wind turbine blades for East Anglia One at our new factory in Hull and work with ScottishPower to further promote the growth of the UK offshore industry.”
ScottishPower Renewables said that it will now be able to accelerate discussions with port facilities in the East Anglia region that will be critical to the construction of the project.
The company said it will also work closely with Siemens to maximise the training and employment opportunities across East Anglia to support the turbine contract.
ScottishPower Renewables aims to start construction in 2017, with the first turbines installed by 2019 and the project fully operational during 2020.
The company has announced a large cut in the cost of offshore wind power through East Anglia ONE, with a cost of electricity set at £119/MWh after a successful bid in the competitive UK Government auction held earlier this year for a Contract for Difference (CfD).
Image: Siemens