ScottishPower Renewables has entered a new phase in the construction of the 960 megawatt East Anglia Two wind farm in the UK with the completion of what is claimed to be record-breaking cable entry operations. This operation involved the installation of two approximately 1.8-kilometer ducts beneath the Suffolk coast and seabed for the project's export cables.
Details of the Duct Installation Operation
The ducts, each with a diameter of 800 millimeters, were installed using horizontal directional drilling (HDD) techniques. This method creates an underground passage without the need to excavate the coast or disrupt the shoreline. ScottishPower Renewables has stated that this operation includes the longest continuous sections of extruded polyethylene (PE) ducts in the world and showcases the largest electrical transmission entry of its kind in the UK based on the combination of length and diameter of the ducts.
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Technical Challenges and Key Achievements
The cable entry operation is part of the onshore civil engineering program for the project, carried out by the OCU group with support from its subsidiary, Peter McCormack & Sons. ScottishPower Renewables has also noted that this operation has set a production record for Pipelife, with the ducts measuring approximately 1,793 meters in length.
ScottishPower Renewables' Offshore Projects Director, Ross Owens, stated: "The completion of this massive HDD, which is three times the length of our other East Anglia projects, is a significant achievement and an important milestone in the construction of our third wind farm in this area." He also emphasized that the cable entry operation is one of the major technical challenges in building an offshore wind farm.
Recent progress on the East Anglia Two project has led to advancements in offshore construction, with the first export cable expected to be installed in summer 2027 and commercial operations targeted for late 2028.
The 960 megawatt wind farm will be built at a site in the southern North Sea, approximately 33 kilometers from the Suffolk coast at its closest point. The project will feature 64 Siemens Gamesa SG 14-236 DD wind turbines installed on monopile foundations.
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