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Port of Dundee Renewables Hub Selected as Pre-Assembly Base for Construction of Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm
Project Reserves Custom Built Facility at Port of Dundee for Pre-Assembly and Marshalling of Wind Turbines
Inch Cape Offshore Limited has selected the Port of Dundee as the pre-assembly and marshalling site for the construction of the 1.1GW Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm, which will be Scotland’s largest offshore wind project when commissioned later this decade. The agreement will see turbine blades, towers and nacelles, which house the turbine generators, being delivered to and pre-assembled at the port’s Renewables Hub before being shipped out for installation 12km off the Angus coast.
Dundee has been chosen after a competitive selection process due to its proximity to the project site, coupled with its unrivalled storage and assembly capacity and purpose-built quayside facilities.
The offshore wind project will be Scotland’s largest single source of renewable power when built and will feature the tallest turbines ever deployed in Scottish waters, with consent for tip heights of up to 291 metres.
Inch Cape Offshore Limited has reserved the entire Renewables Hub at the port, equivalent to 28 football pitches, from March 2025 to March 2026, with around 50 staff expected to be on site over that time.
Adam Ezzamel, Project Director, said, “Inch Cape will be the largest offshore wind project built in Scotland, and we are delighted to be working with the Port of Dundee on the construction phase of this exciting development.
“The port is ideally-sited for our construction operation and offers us the area we require for the number – and sheer scale – of the turbines we will be deploying.
“Offshore construction is a specialist area and the Port of Dundee offers us a management team with the experience and capability to deal with the logistical challenges that have to be managed during our construction phase.
“After successfully securing a Contract for Difference earlier this summer, this latest contract award is another important step towards us delivering the project – and generating low cost, renewable power for consumers across Great Britain.”
David Webster, Director of Energy at Forth Ports (owner of the Port of Dundee), said, “This is a very significant project for The Port of Dundee as we establish Forth Ports as the partner of choice for the renewable energy sector in Scotland.
“We have built Scotland’s only custom-built renewables hub at the port which, when coupled with Dundee’s proximity to the project site in the North Sea and the natural deep waters of the Tay, makes the port ideally suited to the requirements of this major contract for Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm.”
Councillor John Alexander, Leader of Dundee City Council said, “The Port of Dundee is an incredibly important asset, not only for the city but for the renewables sector more generally. It's strategically very well placed to support and deliver key pieces of the infrastructure that the UK will require in the future.
“Today's announcement is a clear vote of confidence in the quality of the infrastructure here and I'm delighted that Inch Cape has selected Dundee as a critical part of the delivery of the largest offshore windfarm in Scotland.
“The scale of this project is unrivalled, with a level of ambition which is set to redefine offshore wind. Inch Cape's success is our success, and everyone benefits from the delivery of this 72-turbine project so I'm very much looking forward to seeing the Port continuing to be a hub for this type of activity.”
About Inch Cape Offshore Limited
The Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm will see up to 72 turbines located 15 km off the Angus coast and connect to the national electricity transmission network at Cockenzie, East Lothian. The project is a 50:50 joint venture between Red Rock Power Limited and Irish energy utility ESB, and secured a Contract for Difference in CfD Allocation Round 4 in July 2022.
On completion, the project will be Scotland’s largest single source of renewable energy, generating the equivalent of the annual power needs of more than 1.7m homes.
About Forth Ports
Forth Ports Limited owns and operates eight commercial ports in the UK – Tilbury on the Thames, Dundee on the Firth of Tay and six on the Firth of Forth – Leith, Grangemouth, Rosyth, Methil, Burntisland and Kirkcaldy. Within and around the Firths of Forth and Tay, Forth Ports manages and operates an area of 280 square miles of navigable waters, including two specialised marine terminals for oil and gas export and provides other marine services, such as towage and conservancy.
Forth Ports is investing in major port infrastructure to support the UK’s drive to increase the country’s offshore renewable energy generating capacity and British supply chain content. This includes a £40m package of works at the Port of Dundee and an investment of over £50m in the 175-acre Leith Renewables Energy Hub.
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