DEME Begins Neart na Gaoithe Work

DEME Offshore has kicked off engineering activities for the Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind project in Scotland as part of its EPCI contract for the inter-array and interconnector cables.

DEME’s scope includes the engineering, procurement, construction, and installation of the subsea cables for the 450MW wind farm, with execution expected in 2021.

According to the company, the engineering activities are already underways in order to meet the required project milestones.

The layout will include 54 Siemens Gamesa 8MW turbines, distributed across 12 array strings, each connected via dedicated 66kV inter-array cables.

The six array loops will be connected to the two offshore substations, with three array loops to each OSS and an interconnector between them.

Tier 1 contractors for Neart na Gaoithe were revealed yesterday, after the announcement that the project construction had kicked off.

Owned by EDF Renewables and ESB, the 450MW offshore wind project will be located 15.5km off the east coast of Fife covering an area of circa 105km2. Water depths for the installation range between 45m and 55m.

Offshore construction is expected to start in June 2020, with full commissioning scheduled for 2023.