But the wider programme ­being built around this mega-machine could have an equally deep impact on the ­future of ­offshore wind in the UK.

The seeds of the Efficient Offshore Wind Programme (EOWP) were planted during an “inward investment” push at MPSE four years ago that winkled out a small internal research and development grant, and money from the UK Department of ­Energy and Climate Change’s (DECC’s) Environmental Transformation Fund.

This