54 of 108 monopile foundations and transition pieces have now been installed at the West of Duddon Sands offshore wind farm, a 50/50 joint venture between DONG Energy and ScottishPower Renewables. On Saturday 27th July, the West of Duddon Sands team complete installation of the 54th transition piece marking the halfway point in installation of the foundation sections of the wind farm.

The entire project will consist of 108 wind turbines with a total installed capacity of 389MW, and is due to be fully completed in 2014.

Benj Sykes, UK Country Manager for Wind Power at DONG Energy, said:

“Having two vessels working together offshore is not only more efficient, and should ensure we get the job done on time, but using two vessels in tandem also saves money helping to bring down costs.”

Charlie Jordan, ScottishPower Renewables Project Director, said:

“Excellent progress is being made on the installation of foundations, and using two vessels for this process has been invaluable. It is fantastic to be halfway through the installation process, and the overall construction plans are progressing well.”

The 108 steel monopiles and transition pieces have been fabricated by Bladt in Denmark; the components are stored at the bespoke offshore wind installation and pre-assembly facility at Belfast Harbour ready for sailing out to the construction site in the East Irish Sea.

Offshore work is being carried out by two of the world’s most advanced installation vessels: Swire Blue Ocean’s Pacific Orca and the Sea Installer – owned by A2SEA. Working in tandem, the vessels will continue to install the foundations until later this summer, at which point Sea Installer will take on the prestigious task of installing the 108 Siemens 3.6MW wind turbine generators, working right through the winter, and Pacific Orca will finish foundation installation around the end of 2013.

Press Release, August 1, 2013