Swedish developer Vattenfall has installed the first suction bucket jacket (SBJ) foundation at its 92.4MW European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC) off Scotland.

The installation of the 1,800-tonne SBJ at the £300m ($416m) development in Aberdeen Bay, which took a short 15 hours, was carried out by the Asian Hercules III floating construction crane. Each of the 11 jackets, assembled at Smulders Newcastle-upon-Tyne facility, will be topped with an 8.4MW MHI Vetas V164 turbine, and wired into the UK grid using high voltage direct current (HVDC) cables from JDR.

“The EOWDC is a cornerstone of Vattenfall’s and the industry’s drive for innovative cost reduction in offshore wind,” said Gunnar Groebler, Vattenfall’s senior vice president of its wind business unit. “To be fossil free within one generation, a climate smart offshore wind programme embracing science and technology is really important for Vattenfall.

“Where appropriate, we are keen to see the EOWDC’s novel approach to foundations – along with all its other innovations - rolled out to the rest of the industry.”

SBJs are trussed steel structures footed with three cylindrically shaped caissons each equipped with a system of high-pressure vacuum pumps that can suck the whole foundation down into the seabed and lock it in place for grouting – meaning, unlike monopiles, no hammering into the seafloor is required.

EODWC project director Adam Ezzamel added: “Suction bucket jacket foundations - which can each be installed with a single offshore lift, virtually without noise and within a matter of hours - bring considerable environmental benefits.

“By enabling faster and smarter installation, the technology will drive down offshore wind costs considerably, provide a further foundation option at challenging sites, whilst also allowing an easier and complete decommissioning. These foundations are the first visible structures offshore for the EOWDC which we hope will go some way to help establish the North-East as a centre for offshore wind innovation.”

The EOWDC, the largest of Scotland’s offshore wind technology testing sites, overcame a long-running legal battle with US President Donald Trump, who objected to the wind farm’s visual impact on a coastal golf resort he was developing.

Scottish minister for Business, Innovation and Energy Paul Wheelhouse said: "The EOWDC provides a real opportunity to showcase how innovation ‎can continue to reduce the cost of offshore wind and it’s fantastic to, at long last, see the first installation of the project’s offshore infrastructure.

"As outlined in our Energy Strategy, we see huge industrial and economic potential attached to offshore wind and floating offshore wind. We will continue to support growth in this sector to maintain Scotland’s position as a strong hub for innovation and to develop supply chain opportunities, as further demonstration and commercial scale sites are brought forward.

Jean Morrison, chair of Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group, added: “The EOWDC has always intended to be a pioneering development and the use of the suction bucket jacket foundations is a great example of fresh innovation in the offshore wind sector. This is another exciting stage for the project with first visibility of the structures offshore as the project moves closer to its operational phase.”

As well as the new-look SBJs, and ultra-large turbines, Vattenfall is using EOWDC to spearhead adoption of HVDC export lines for its future mega-scale offshore wind farms off the UK, with plans to use the next-generation transmission cables to connect its Vanguard and Boreas projects to the UK grid:

Once constructed, EOWDC will generate the equivalent of 70% of Aberdeen's domestic electricity demand and annually displace 132,977 tonnes of CO _2.

Wind

First suction bucket splashes down at Aberdeen Bay