Project Overview

The Moray West Offshore Wind Farm Project is a 882 MW greenfield project located in Moray Firth, Scotland, United Kingdom. Despite still being under construction, the wind farm has delivered first power from the first series of wind turbines and exported to Scotland’s National Electricity Transmission System (NETS) in July 2024.

The Moray West Offshore Wind Farm is developed by Moray Offshore Renewables Ltd (MORL), a partnership between Ocean Winds and Ignitis Grup? (formerly known as Lietuvos Energija UAB). Half of the turbines have been installed in August 2024.

In April 2025, the UK Secretary of State for Scotland, Ian Murray, officially switched on full power at the 882 MW Moray West offshore wind farm. The project used more than 80 UK-based suppliers and features some of the largest turbines ever installed in Europe. Now fully operational, Moray West can generate enough clean electricity to power 1.3 million homes covering around half of Scotland’s households.

Project Background

In 2010, Moray Offshore Renewable Power Limited was awarded a Zone Development Agreement (ZDA) by the Crown Estate to develop the Moray Firth Zone. The area was divided into eastern and western sites. Eastern site (Moray East) is prioritized due to fewer constraints than the western site (Moray West).

These changes prompted EDPR UK to revisit the potential of the Moray West site for offshore wind generation. In July 2018, Moray Offshore Wind Farm (West) Ltd. (MOWL) submitted an application to the Scottish Ministers for consent to construct the Moray West wind farm. By early 2019, all necessary consents for the construction of the wind farm and marine export cable were secured.

The development phase of Moray West commenced after the award of seabed rights from the Crown Estate in 2016. Following that, the project secured a government Contract for Difference (CfD) and a Corporate Power Purchase Agreement (CPPA). This enabled the finalization of commercial and contractual arrangements of the offshore wind energy project.

The project is primarily owned by Ocean Winds, a joint venture between EDP Renewables and ENGIE, with a small minority stake held by Ignitis Group. The Moray West Offshore Wind Farm is currently operational, with an life exceeding 25 years.

Project Location Details

The Moray West offshore wind farm is located in the Moray Firth, off the coast of Scotland, about 22 kilometers from the Caithness coastline. It's also 22 kilometers from Helmsdale in Sutherland and 50 kilometers north of Buckie.

Morray West wind farm map

Its power cable has a landfall at Sandend near Portsoy in Aberdeenshire. It has been buried underground for 27 km to a newly-built substation near Keith, and Moray West, then feeds power into the national grid at the nearby Blackhillock substation.

Project cost

The estimated project cost of Moray West offshore is GBP 2.5 billion (USD 3.25 billion). The project secured a 15-year CfD in 2022 for the delivery of 294 MW offshore wind generation at GBP 37.35/MWh (in 2012 prices). It was the first project from the UK’s CfD Allocation Round 4 to reach a financial close.

Moray West also has a corporate power purchase agreement (CPPA)  with Google for 100 MW of the project’s generation capacity for 12 years.

Technical Specifications

The Moray West Offshore Wind Farm feature 60 Siemens Gamesa SG 14-222 DD offshore wind turbines each with a capacity of 14.7 MW. These turbines are one of the largest in the world standing 257 meters (843 feet) above sea level. Each turbine includes three blades, each having 108 meters (354 feet) in length and a rotor diameter of 222 meters.

The turbine towers are 120 meters (393 feet) tall and support a nacelle weighing 700 tonnes installed by Cadeler’s Wind Orca vessel. These towers are mounted on monopiles made of single steel tubes made by Smulders Projects in Wallsend, North Tyneside.

The project’s seabed infrastructure includes 275 kilometers of inter-array cables that connect the turbines. Two offshore substation platforms and interconnector cables will be deployed to facilitate the transmission of power. 

Onshore underground cabling is done between Whitehillock and Blackhillock onshore substation. The power generated by the wind farm will be transmitted through an offshore export cables corridor spanning an area of approximately 185 square kilometers.

The onshore cable route is approximately 30 km in length and includes 220 kV and 400 kV sections. It will be connected to the 400 kV substation at Blackhillock, the largest substation in the UK. All electrical infrastructure required to transmit power to the onshore transmission network will be owned and operated by an Offshore Transmission Owner (OFTO) under the offshore transmission regulatory regime.

Contractors Involved

Project Timeline

Project Benefits

The Moray West Offshore Wind Farm is a part of Ocean Winds' 6 GW portfolio of secured offshore wind farms in the UK. This project will provide an extensive economic impact on the local Scottish economy throughout the operational lifetime.

The project is expected to create over 1,500 full-time equivalent jobs in Scotland during the construction phase. This includes 70 long-term operational roles based in Buckie, contributing to the local workforce and community. The Moray offshore windfarm is actively involved in developing a new offshore wind supply chain in the north of Scotland, benefitting local suppliers and the surrounding economy.

Current and Future Outlook

The wind farm in currently operational.

Summary

The Moray West Offshore Wind Farm is an 882 MW offshore wind project in Moray Firth, Scotland. The project in UK waters is currently operational. Featuring 60 Siemens Gamesa SG 14-222 DD turbines, the wind farm generates enough electricity to power half of Scotland's homes. The project will have a positive impact on Scotland's economy by injecting over GBP 800 million and supporting the local supply chain. The offshore wind project is on track and supports the UK’s renewable energy goal of net zero by 2050.

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