ScottishPower Renewables has completed a record-breaking subsea drilling and duct pull-in operation at its USD 5.2 billion East Anglia TWO offshore wind farm, which the company describes as a global engineering first.

A Global Engineering First Off the Suffolk Coast

The construction milestone involved installing the two cable ducts that will provide a protected pathway for the high-voltage export cables carrying electricity from the 960 MW wind farm to shore.

The ducts were installed using Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD), a technique that safely drills beneath the Suffolk coastline and seabed. The operation involved the world's longest continuous single sections of extruded polyethylene (PE) ducts.

At just under 1,800 metres long and 800 mm in diameter, the ducts form the largest electricity transmission landfall of its kind in the UK, based on the combination of those two dimensions.

To put the length in perspective, the company notes it equals the distance of the historic Royal Mile in Edinburgh, from Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Palace, or the stretch of the River Thames from the London Eye to the Tate Modern.

Drilling Beneath the Coastline without Disturbing it

HDD is a complex engineering solution that creates an underground bore deep beneath the ground without the need to dig up beaches, dunes, cliffs or coastal habitats, minimising disruption to the environment and sensitive landscapes. The technique is carried out using rigs working onshore and offshore simultaneously.

The HDD works form part of the East Anglia TWO civil engineering programme being delivered by principal contractor OCU Group, with support from its subsidiary Peter McCormack & Sons. The contract is supporting more than 80 jobs during construction.

Ross Ovens, ScottishPower Renewables' Managing Director for Offshore, said the completion of the HDD, which is three times the length of those on the company's other East Anglia projects, was a huge achievement and a major milestone as construction progresses on its third windfarm in the region.

He said the priority is always to deliver clean energy projects and their benefits in a responsible and sensitive way that is mindful of the environment and the people around them.

Landfall works, he noted, are known to be one of the most technically challenging aspects of building an offshore windfarm, but precision planning and a strong partnership with principal contractor OCU Group and duct manufacturer Pipelife meant the programme broke UK and world records in the process.

Contractor Hails Exceptional Achievement

Mike McNulty, HDD Director at OCU Group, described delivering a landfall HDD of this scale as an exceptional engineering achievement demanding meticulous planning, technical expertise and close collaboration.

He said successfully installing two 1,800-metre, 800mm diameter PE pipes, each in a single continuous section, was testament to the skill and commitment of everyone involved. He added that the milestone demonstrates what can be achieved through specialist engineering, strong partnerships and a shared commitment to delivering major energy infrastructure responsibly.

Pipes manufactured in Norway and towed to England

The record-breaking pipes were manufactured by Pipelife at its facility in Stathelle, Norway. Martin Myhre, Project Manager at Pipelife Norway, said that at 1,793 metres, this was the longest pipe the company has ever manufactured, making it a significant milestone.

Producing the pipe through continuous extrusion meant it could be manufactured as one uninterrupted length without welding, eliminating welded joints and resulting in a more robust and reliable solution for the demanding application.

The pipes then travelled by tow from Norway to Thorpeness in England, a journey Myhre described as extraordinary. He said a project of this scale takes close collaboration and careful planning throughout the entire supply chain.

Next Steps for the 960 MW Windfarm

The first of East Anglia TWO's export cables is expected to be installed in summer 2027, with the windfarm working towards commercial operation in late 2028.

The project will be located in the southern North Sea, around 33km from the Suffolk coast at its nearest point off Southwold and 37km from Lowestoft.

With an operational capacity of up to 960MW, the windfarm will be capable of powering the equivalent of almost one million homes with clean electricity generated in the UK. To date, the project has injected more than USD 1.98 billion into the UK supply chain.

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