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Scotland’s largest offshore windfarm generates first power

Scotland’s largest offshore windfarm has begun generating power for the first time, SSE Renewables and partner TotalEnergies announced.

The first of 114 turbines of the 1,075MW Seagreen array, located 27km off the coast of Angus, was commissioned in the early hours of Monday morning (22 August).

The £3 billion project is expected to be fully operational in the first half of 2023 when it will produce around 5TWh of renewable electricity per year, enough to power the equivalent of 1.6 million households.

Paul Cooley, director of offshore wind at SSE Renewables, said: “We often talk about key milestones along a project’s journey, and Seagreen has had a number to date, but to see this turbine turning in the North Sea and to have reached first power safely, is a fantastic achievement for everyone connected to the project.

“The project has already brought several benefits to the local community, the UK supply chain and, once completed, Seagreen will make a significant contribution to Scotland and the UK’s ambitious renewable energy targets.”

Vincent Stoquart, senior vice president renewables at TotalEnergies, said: “This marks a new step in the development of TotalEnergies’ offshore activities capacity.

“This milestone will contribute directly to our objective of reaching 35GW of renewable electricity capacity worldwide by 2025.”

Energy security will be among the key themes discussed at the Utility Week Forum, which will take place in London on 8-9 November. Find out more here.