Inch Cape Offshore has selected the Port of Dundee as the pre-assembly and marshalling site for the construction of its 1.1GW offshore wind farm.
The agreement will see turbine blades, towers and nacelles - which house the turbine generators - being delivered to and pre-assembled at the port’s renewables hub, before being shipped out for installation 12km off the Angus coast.
Dundee has been chosen after a competitive selection process due to its proximity to the project site, coupled with its storage and assembly capacity and purpose-built quayside facilities.
The offshore wind project will be Scotland’s largest single source of renewable power when built and will feature the tallest turbines ever deployed in Scottish waters, with consent for tip heights of up to 291 metres.
Inch Cape Offshore has reserved the entire Renewables Hub at the port, equivalent to 28 football pitches, from March 2025 to March 2026, with around 50 staff expected to be on site over that time.
Project director Adam Ezzamel said: “Inch Cape will be the largest single offshore wind project built in Scotland, and we are delighted to be working with the Port of Dundee on the construction phase of this exciting development.
“The port is ideally-sited for our construction operation and offers us the area we require for the number - and sheer scale - of the turbines we will be deploying.
“Offshore construction is a specialist area and the Port of Dundee offers us a management team with the experience and capability to deal with the logistical challenges that have to be managed during our construction phase.”
David Webster, director of energy at Forth Ports - owner of the Port of Dundee - said: “This is a very significant project for the Port of Dundee as we establish Forth Ports as the partner of choice for the renewable energy sector in Scotland.
“We have built Scotland’s only custom-built renewables hub at the port which, when coupled with Dundee’s proximity to the project site in the North Sea and the natural deep waters of the Tay, makes the port ideally suited to the requirements of this major contract for Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm.”
Councillor John Alexander, leader of Dundee City Council, said: “The Port of Dundee is an incredibly important asset, not only for the city but for the renewables sector more generally.
“The scale of this project is unrivalled, with a level of ambition which is set to redefine offshore wind - Inch Cape's success is our success, and everyone benefits from the delivery of this project so I'm very much looking forward to seeing the port continuing to be a hub for this type of activity.”
The Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm will see up to 72 turbines located 15km off the Angus coast and connect to the national electricity transmission network at Cockenzie in East Lothian.
The project is a 50:50 joint venture between Red Rock Power and Irish energy utility ESB, which secured a Contract for Difference in the fourth allocation round last month.
On completion, the project will be Scotland’s largest single source of renewable energy, generating the equivalent of the annual power needs of more than 1.7m homes.
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