Characteristics

This demonstration wind farm has the following characteristics:

  • Maximum capacity of 93.2 MW
  • 11 MHI Vestas wind turbines : nine wind turbines with a  8.4 MW capacity , and 2 wind turbines with a record capacity of 8.8 MW. Each wind turbines is 191 m high and equipped with 80 m long blades
  • Expected life of 20 years

Innovation

This farm generate wind power but also serve as a demonstration site for new offshore wind technologies. The tests will help developping innovations that contribute to the reduction of the cost of offshore wind energy, and to better understand the environmental impacts of offshore wind.

EOWDC, also known as Aberdeen Offshore Wind Farm (AOWF), is the largest Scottish demonstration farm. It is also the first site to use 8.8 MW offshore wind turbines,  foundations by suction anchor (each anchor weighs from 140 to 195 tons with a diameter of 9.5 meters),and more than 21 km of 66 kV submarine cables linking wind turbines to Blackdog substation.

Chronology

March 2016

Start of preparation work.

July 2016

The Swedish company Vettenfall AB confirms the construction of the wind farm which will begin with the installation of 11 MHI Vestas turbines of about 8 MW.

November 2016

For the first time, a research program to analyze and better understand the environmental impacts of offshore wind is backed by this type of project. The program will be funded in part by the European Union and sixteen out of a hundred candidates have been pre-selected by a panel of experts.

September 2017

Construction of suction anchor foundations began in Hoboken, Belgium. The general level 1 construction and installation contractor, Boskalis, is planning a jacket installation on site in January 2018.

October 2017

The first two upper jacket sections manufactured in Hoboken (Belgium) are transported via the Tyne to Newcastle. The lower sections are directly manufactured in Newcastle, where the final assembly takes place.

April 2018

The first 8.8 MW MHI Vestas VI64 wind turbine is installed, making it the first 8.8 MW offshore commercial wind turbine.

This turbines is 191 m high and is equipped with 80 m blades and a 164 m circumferential rotor. The turbine was manufactured in Esbjerg, then transported to Aberdeen and installed by Swire Blue Ocean ship, within fifteen days of the positioning of the foundations.

June 2018

Vattenfall and Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult create an alliance to enable the testing of innovative projects on the EOWDC farm and their integration into the value chain.

July 2018

Start of the power generation and supply of the British electricity grid.

September 2018

Inauguration of the farm.

November 2018

A call for research project on the analysis of birds behavior in the Vattenfall wind farm was launched in early November.

The project should start in spring 2019 and be spread over two or three years.