On perhaps one of the coldest days of the year, IDCORE ventured north to the Port of Nigg, Inverness, construction site to see the Seagreen offshore turbine foundation jackets – curtesy of Seaway7.

The site is where the jackets arrive after fabrication in China. The jackets are transported off the HTV (Heavy Transportation Vessel) to the quayside, using SPMTs (Self Propelled Modular Transport), where they are made ready for turbine installation.  When ready, they are lifted by ring crane onto barges, so they can be taken out to the installation vessel waiting 27km off the coast.    

Each of the 114 jackets will support a 10MW turbine, and weigh an enormous 2000 tonnes each – right at the very limit of the specialist lifting equipment.  The wind farm will generate 1.1GW of electricity to feed 1.6 million homes.

We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to visit - seeing the enormously complicated marshalling operation, up close, was absolutely fascinating and to be honest, pretty mind blowing!    

So huge, huge thanks to Martin Johnston and David Mitchell at Seaway7!

More info on the Seagreen wind farm here: https://www.sserenewables.com/offshore-wind/projects/seagreen/

And on Seaway7 here: https://www.seaway7.com/