The commissioning of the wind turbines will be carried out using the vessel HST Swansea , with the installation work being supported by crew transfer vessels (CTVs) Farra Ciara and Channel Chieftain VI .
The wind turbines are being installed on the jacket foundations, 33 of which are now in place at the project site, located 15 kilometres off the coast of Fife.
The first ten wind turbine foundations were installed in the fourth quarter of last year. On 9 July, the heavy lift vessel Thialf completed the second phase of the installation which included 22 jackets.
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The jackets were brought directly to the site by four barges: AMT Crusader , AMT Challenger , AMT CD-1 , Ranbarge 1 , and one assist tug vessel Blygia , with the heavy transport vessel Xin Yao Hua supporting the lifting activities.
The Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind farm, owned by EDF Renewables and ESB, is expected have the first wind turbines online this year and to become fully operational in 2024.
Once fully commissioned, the 450 MW offshore wind farm will supply enough electricity for around 375,000 households and offset over 400,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year.
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