First V164-9.5 MW turbine installed on Scottish floating wind project

The V164-9.5 MW is the largest and most powerful turbine to have been installed on a floating platform to date. The turbine is the first of five to be installed at the Kincardine project.

Kincardine, which is being developed by Cobra Group, will be the largest floating windfarm in the world in terms of nameplate capacity.

The five units at the project will be installed approximately 15 km off the coast of Scotland in water depths ranging from 60 m to 80 m. This first 9.5-MW unit is expected to be anchored at the project site in December 2020.

A spokesperson for Cobra Group said, “This is an exciting, world-leading project. Installation of the largest turbine to be installed on a floating foundation is a major milestone for the project and we very much look forward to seeing it generate power at the site very soon.”

The MHI Vestas turbines are being installed on WindFloat semi-submersible foundations from Principle Power.

Earlier in 2020, Royal Boskalis Westminster was selected to transport and install the Kincardine turbines.

The anchor handling tug Boka Falcon was selected to install the anchors and chains on the seabed. The floating foundations will be transported from Ferrol in Spain to Rotterdam, the Netherlands, where Boskalis will deploy the vessel Fjord as a semi-submersible barge. In addition to Boka Falcon and Fjord, three other Boskalis AHTs will be deployed on the project.

A single V80-2.0 MW turbine has already been installed at the windfarm.