November 18, 2022
Scotland

Crane failure has delayed Scotland’s Seagreen wind project

By Ryan Duff, 18/11/2022, energyvoice.com

The UK-based utility company SSE has announced in its half-year reports that its flagship Seagreen offshore wind project has been delayed due to “crane failure”.

SSE had to fork out £57 million in costs relating to the delay of its offshore wind project after an incident involving the Saipem 7000 installation vessel.

The Saipem 7000 was reported encountered issues earlier this year in Norway,during planned maintenance, dropping two cargo barges into the sea during load testing and causing the 198-metre vessel to tilt in the water.

Prior to this, the vessel was working on Seagreen, Scotland’s largest wind farm, off Angus, which it later returned to.

The delay slowed down Seagreen, which is now expected to finish construction and begin commercial operations in “summer 2023”.

Disclosing its half year results, SSE said its subsidiary, SSE Renewables operated at a loss of £29.3m during the first half of the year – still more favourable than the previous six month’s £33.6m loss.

The utility company also says that power production is behind what it had projected, writing: “Having experienced exceptionally still and dry weather in the prior year, volumes increased 0.8TWh or 28% in the current year but were still 0.5TWh or 13% behind planned levels due to unfavourable weather.”

However, the firm says progress is being made with 78 jackets and 65 turbines now installed.

SSE and project partners TotalEnergies reported the £3 billion project, 17 miles off the coast of Angus, produced first power this year.

Seagreen is 51% owned by France’s TotalEnergies and 49% by SSE renewables.

It will have will 114 turbines on completion.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2022/11/18/crane-failure-has-delayed-scotlands-seagreen-wind-project/