Overview

The East Anglia One, a 714 MW offshore wind project in the UK's North Sea, harnesses wind power using 102 Siemens Gamesa turbines. Developed by ScottishPower Renewables for USD 3.2 billion, it became operational in 2020 and represents the first phase of a larger green energy hub planned for the region.

The East Anglia One is part of the East Anglia offshore wind project, situated off the east coast of England. East Anglia THREE (up to 1.4 GW) is under construction, while applications for East Anglia TWO (900 MW) and East Anglia ONE North (800 MW) are under review.

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Background

The East Anglia ONE project is part of the East Anglia Offshore Wind Zone. This zone aims to be a major renewable energy hub with a total capacity of 3.1 gigawatts (GW) upon completion. The project is in the area of 6,000 square kilometers off the East Anglia coast and holds potential for clean energy generation.

Development of the East Anglia Offshore Wind Zone began in December 2009. East Anglia Offshore Wind, a joint venture between Vattenfall and ScottishPower Renewables, secured development rights under the Crown Estate’s Round Three Offshore Wind Plan. Public consultations for the project were initiated in 2010, and by June 2014, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) granted development consent for the East Anglia ONE project.

There have been some ownership changes throughout the project's development. In March 2015, ScottishPower Renewables acquired Vattenfall's 50% share, becoming the sole developer of East Anglia ONE. This acquisition also made Scottish Power Renewables a subsidiary of Iberdrola Renewables.

East Anglia One successfully secured development consent from East Suffolk Council in June 2014.

East Anglia ONE, generates 714 MW power for 630,000 homes, which reduces dependence on fossil fuels. This green electricity approach aligns with the United Kingdom's Climate Change Act 2008, targeting a 34% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 and at least 80% by 2050. 

Furthermore, the project creates around 3,000 jobs during construction and is positioned to be the most cost-effective offshore wind farm in the UK, securing a price of GBP 119 (USD 177) per megawatt-hour.

Project Timeline

East Anglia 1 Location

Source: Scottish Renewables 

The East Anglia ONE wind farm spans 300km² in the southern East Anglia offshore wind zone, situated 34 km off the Suffolk coast.

Construction for the East Anglia One project was supported by Peel Ports Great Yarmouth, a key port facility in the region.

Technical Specifications

The East Anglia ONE offshore wind farm is equipped with 102 wind turbines manufactured by Siemens Gamesa. Each turbine boasts a rotor diameter of 154m, 75m-long blades, and a hub height of 235m, generating 7MW of power with a swept area of 18,600m². These turbines are mounted on 65.5m-long jacket foundations weighing 840t each, situated in 45m-deep waters and supported by three piles per foundation.

To gather the generated electricity, 155 km of 66kV inter-array cables connect the turbines to an offshore substation. The jacket foundations were constructed by Navantia, Lamprell, and Harland & Wolff, with Windar producing the piles. 

The Andalucía II marine substation, manufactured by Navantia, collects and transforms the electricity before transmitting it through two nearly 85 km-long sea-bed cables to the landfall site in Bawdsey. From there, six 37km underground cables transfer the power to the onshore substation at Bramford, Suffolk, enhancing it for distribution to the National Grid.

Daily operations for the wind farm are managed from the maintenance and operations base in Lowestoft Port, which includes maritime coordination facilities, technical offices, and warehouses, employing approximately a hundred personnel on-site.

Contractors Involved

Project cost

East Anglia ONE, has a project cost totaling GBP 2.5 billion and is owned 60% by the Iberdrola Group and 40% by the Green Investment Group (GIG Europe), a part of the Macquarie Group.

In 2015, SPR and Vattenfall ended their joint venture, opting to pursue projects independently in the southern and northern offshore windfarm areas of the East Anglia zone. That same year, SPR secured the contract for difference (CfD) for East Anglia ONE at a strike price of GBP 119/MWh (USD 184/MWh) through a competitive auction conducted by the UK Government.

ScottishPower Renewables (UK), the Green Investment Group, The Renewables Infrastructure Group, and InfraRed Capital Partners collectively own the project, with ownership stakes of 60%, 20%, 14.3%, and 5.7%, respectively.

The Iberdrola group is also on a mission to build one of the largest offshore wind power complexes in East Anglia Array. The combined project cost estimated for East Anglia ONE North, East Anglia TWO, and East Anglia THREE is GBP 10,000 million with an installed capacity of 2.9 GW.

Current Status & Future Outlook 

The offshore windfarm project is presently operational and developed in several phases along with other projects in the East Anglia hub. Construction began in 2018, with commercial operation commenced in December 2019. 

Over its operational life, the project is estimated to prevent an impressive 1,186 kilotons of CO2 emissions each year. To visualize this impact, it's like taking roughly 400,000 cars off the road annually.

The project is expected to prevent the release of hundreds of tonnes of nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, and particulate matter each year. In addition to these direct benefits, the East Anglia One Wind Farm reduces reliance on fossil fuels by 506 kilotonnes of oil equivalent each year. 

Summary

The East Anglia One Offshore Wind Farm, a 714 MW greenfield project in the Southern North Sea, UK, developed by ScottishPower Renewables for USD 3.2 billion, became operational in December 2019. It comprises 102 Siemens Gamesa turbines and spans 300km². Owned 60% by the Iberdrola Group and 40% by the Green Investment Group, it's the first phase of a larger clean energy hub. The project aims to reduce fossil fuel dependency, create jobs, and provide competitive clean energy. Expansion plans include the East Anglia TWO and East Anglia ONE North projects.

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