Second Offshore Export Cable Successfully Completed for 1.1 GW Offshore Wind Farm in Scotland

Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm has completed the installation of its second 85-kilometre offshore export cable off the east coast of Scotland.

The second of two 220 kV three-phase export cables was installed in three 28-kilometre sections by Enshore Subsea using cable lay vessel CMOS Installer operating out of the Port of Blyth. It required two offshore joints which were carried out by jointing specialists onboard Normand Cutter and was buried in the seabed using hybrid trenching vehicle ENS1100, with some final rock placement to come.

The two parallel cables will transmit power from the 1.1 GW wind farm’s offshore substation platform to its new onshore substation at Cockenzie, East Lothian then onto the national grid. The cables will be energised over the coming weeks in advance of first power toward the end of this year.

Inch Cape is owned in a 50/50 equal joint venture by ESB and Red Rock Renewables and once complete will generate almost 5 terawatt hours (TWh) of energy each year or enough to power half of the homes in Scotland. The project remains on track for full commercial operations in 2027.