First export cable in at Inch Cape offshore wind farm

The first of the two 85-kilometre export cables for the Scottish Inch Cape offshore wind farm has been installed by Enshore Subsea using the cable laying vessel (CLV) CMOS Installer.

Operating from the Port of Blyth, the vessel laid the 220 kV, three-phase cable manufactured by Ningbo Orient Wires & Cables (Orient Cable) in three roughly 28-kilometer sections. Offshore joints were completed using the vessel North Sea Giant, and the cable will soon be buried beneath the seabed.

Once operational, the export cable will connect the Inch Cape offshore substation to a new onshore facility under construction at Cockenzie in East Lothian.

The second export cable, also 85 kilometers long, will be installed during a separate campaign in 2026, again led by Enshore Subsea.

Offshore construction at the Inch Cape site, located 15 to 22 kilometers off the Angus coast, began earlier this year. The offshore substation platform was installed this August.

The project has also received its first shipment of XXL monopile foundations at the Port of Leith, ahead of the start of foundation and jacket installation next year.

At Montrose Port, work is underway on the project’s operations and maintenance base, which will support the wind farm during its 25-year operational life.

The onshore substation at the former Cockenzie power-station site continues to progress toward completion in 2026.

The 1.1 GW Inch Cape will comprise 72 Vestas V236-15 MW turbines. Once fully operational, the wind farm is expected to generate about 5 terawatt-hours of electricity annually, enough to power around half of Scotland’s homes.

First power is targeted for late 2026, with full commercial operations scheduled the following year.

Inch Cape is owned by a 50/50 joint venture between ESB and Red Rock Renewables.

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