The first turbine has been installed at the Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) wind farm, 10 miles off the coast of Fife.
The turbine towers, each measuring almost 90 metres, have been assembled at the Port of Dundee for the past two months.
NnG will ultimately supply enough low carbon electricity for around 375,000 homes.
Process of installing NnG wind turbine
The turbine, with a tip height of over 200 metres, was installed by Siemens Gamesa from the specialist jack-up wind turbine construction vessel, the Blue Tern.
It initially placed the 87.5 metre turbine tower on its pre-installed steel jacket.
This was followed by the installation of the 350 tonne nacelle, containing the turbine generator, on top of the tower.
Finally, its three blades, each 81 metres in length, were bolted to the nacelle.
Its power will be sent via the subsea inter-array cable to its offshore substation then onwards to shore via the subsea export cable to Thorntonloch Beach in East Lothian.
An underground onshore export cable will transmit its power to the national grid.
NnG project milestone
The NnG project is jointly owned by EDF Renewables UK and ESB and has a capacity of around 450MW.
The project covers an area of 105 kilmometres squared and will be fully operational in 2024.
NnG project director Matthias Haag said: “This is truly a pivotal moment for the NnG offshore wind farm. The construction of the first NnG wind turbine was a momentous sight.
“It’s a great achievement for our team and our contractors and we’ve taken a massive step towards our goal of generating 450MW of clean, green energy and helping Scotland achieve its net zero targets.”
David Webster, director of energy at Forth Ports, hailed the Port of Dundee contribution to the project.
He said: “The Port of Dundee has demonstrated that Scotland can build world class port infrastructure to support the delivery of major offshore wind farms.”
He said the project had been a “catalyst for local supply chain development and industry collaboration”.
