en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm has completed the installation of all 54 monopile foundations, marking a significant milestone in the offshore construction of this flagship Scottish project.
Located in the North Sea off the coast of Scotland, the wind farm now has all its turbine monopile foundations in place. Since the installation of the first monopile in December last year, the heavy-lift vessel Les Alizés, operated by Jan De Nul, has been steadily completing lifting operations at sea, departing from the newly built dedicated berth at the Port of Leith in Edinburgh, carrying five monopiles per voyage.
John Hill, Project Director for Inch Cape, stated that the completion of all monopile installations is a major achievement for the team and confirms that the project is in an extremely busy phase of offshore construction activities. These monopiles are among the largest ever installed at an offshore wind farm—measuring up to 11.5 meters in diameter, 102 meters in length, and weighing approximately 2,300 tons. To reach this milestone, the project overcame numerous challenges, with monopile suppliers CWHI and Dajin handling manufacturing and delivery, SLPE undertaking engineering design, and Forth Projects responsible for unloading and marshaling.
The Les Alizés is equipped with a crane boasting a height of 160 meters and a lifting capacity of 5,000 tons, and uses an IQIP pile gripper and IQIP hydraulic impact hammer specifically designed for this project to drive the monopiles into the seabed. Given that the heavy monopiles had to be installed in complex geological conditions, Geowynd's geotechnical team collaborated with Cathie to conduct extensive analyses to mitigate risks and ensure construction safety. To protect marine mammals, mitigation measures including acoustic deterrent devices and soft-start piling were employed, along with a noise monitoring program.
In addition to the 54 monopiles with transition pieces, Inch Cape will also install 18 jacket foundations (including 54 pin piles) to support 72 Vestas 15MW turbines. A team of approximately 100 people continues to work at the Port of Leith, with all remaining components being loaded onto vessels for transport to the installation site after completion, supported by Global Energy Solutions. Jan De Nul's Les Alizés is on long-term charter to RWE, which leases the vessel to Inch Cape during gaps in its own construction projects.
Upcoming offshore construction this year includes the installation of transition pieces and jacket foundations, as well as the remaining section of the second export cable, the first array cables, and the first turbines. The project is expected to achieve first power by the end of 2026, with full commercial operation in 2027. The wind farm is jointly owned on a 50/50 equal basis by ESB and Red Rock Renewables.
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