ENGIE's solution is to supply 40% of Scottish electricity from an offshore wind farm
Moray East is a 100-turbine wind farm off the north-east coast of Scotland, which marks a radical turning point in the country's renewable energy supply: since April 2022, the farm has met 40% of Scotland's electricity requirements. Ocean Winds, a joint venture between ENGIE and EDP Renewables (EDPR), worked with Diamond Green Limited and CTG to develop the offshore wind project.
In 2022, under the ScotWind initiative, Ocean Winds was granted exclusive development rights for three projects:
- a 2 GW-capacity offshore wind project called Caledonia, situated next to existing seabed leasing areas Moray East and Moray West;
- a 1.8 GW floating offshore wind project in partnership with Mainstream Renewable Power east of the Shetland Isles;
- a 500 MW floating offshore wind project, also east of the Shetland Isles.
Ocean Winds is currently operating, building and developing a total of over 6 GW of offshore capacity in Scotland alone!
Did you know?
Offshore wind farms are particularly efficient due to the far stronger wind speeds found in the high seas. With greater power and strong, steady sea winds, offshore wind can generate twice as much electricity as onshore wind!
Moray East in figures
- 950 MW of installed capacity to supply 950,000 homes
- 1.7 million T CO2 eq. avoided/year
- 295 sq. km in surface area
- 100 wind turbines
"Our 950 MW wind farm, located more than 22 km offshore and in over 50 m deep waters, is a key step in the offshore wind industry's international development. One of the project's biggest challenges was the COVID-19 pandemic, which hit during the construction phase. By using new work methods, including new, robust health and safety procedures and a more dynamic and flexible work model, the construction team was able to manage risk appropriately, whilst ensuring there was no significant impact on costs and lead times."
Paul Cavanagh, Asset Director at Moray East Offshore Wind Farm