What is offshore wind?
Offshore wind power is electricity generation through wind farms out at sea/off the shore (offshore). With higher wind speeds offshore than on land, offshore wind farms generate more electricity than if installed onshore.
The power is created by the wind turning the turbine blades which creates kinetic energy. The blades turning then makes the shaft in the nacelle (the part in the middle of the turbine blades) turn and a generator in the nacelle converts this kinetic energy into electrical energy. This is then transported through the turbine tower to a series of electricity transmission subsea cables to the transmission network back on land.
Types of offshore wind
SSE Renewables's operational offshore wind farms currently only use fixed-bottom turbines, but with project partners Marubeni Corporation and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), SSE Renewables are working to deliver Ossian, an up to 3.6GW floating offshore wind farm off the east coast of Scotland.
Fixed-bottom
Fixed-bottom wind turbines have a fixed foundation structure penetrating the seabed called a jacket. This means that they cannot be installed in as deep waters as floating wind farms. The jackets are installed via crane vessels.
Floating
Floating wind turbines do not have a fixed foundation structure penetrating the seabed. Instead, floating wind turbines are held in position by a system of mooring lines which, in theory, can have unlimited length and eliminate the depth constraints of current fixed-bottom offshore wind. The mooring lines ‘anchor’ the structure to the seabed, reducing surface movement and improving stability. This makes floating technology more suited to development in deeper waters.
SSE's offshore wind portfolio
SSE's offshore wind farm locations
Filter sites
Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm
Beatrice became fully operational in June 2019 and is operated by SSE Renewables on behalf of a joint venture partnership between SSE Renewables (40%), Red Rock Power Limited (25%), The Renewables Infrastructure Group (17.5%) and Equitix (17.5%). With a 588MW capacity, it is one of Scotland's largest operational offshore wind farms and can power up to 450,000 homes.
Seagreen Wind Energy Ltd
A £3bn, 1,075MW joint venture between TotalEnergies (51%) and SSE Renewables (49%), Seagreen is Scotland’s largest operational offshore wind farm and is the world’s deepest fixed bottom offshore wind farm. Seagreen generates energy to power more than 1.6 million homes, equivalent to two-thirds of all Scottish homes.
Griffin Wind Farm
SSE Renewables's 68-turbine 156.4 MW Griffin Wind Farm was completed in 2012.
Dogger Bank Wind Farm
When fully complete in 2026, Dogger Bank Wind Farm will be the world's largest offshore wind farm, capable of powering up to 6 million homes annually with a 3.6GW capacity. The Dogger Bank Offshore Wind Farm is a joint venture between SSE Renewables (40%), Equinor (40%) and Vårgrønn (20%).
Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Farm
Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Farm is a joint venture between SSE Renewables (50%) and RWE Renewables (50%). SSE Renewables operates the offshore wind farm. The 504MW offshore wind farm has been in operation since 2012, generating enough low-carbon renewable energy each year to power the equivalent of over 400,000 UK homes.
Berwick Bank Offshore Wind Farm
SSE Renewables's Berwick Bank Offshore Wind Farm has the potential to deliver up to 4.1 GW of installed capacity, enough to power 6 million homes, making it one of the largest offshore opportunities in the world.
North Falls Offshore Wind Farm
SSE Renewables and RWE Renewables have established a 50:50 joint venture company to develop the North Falls Offshore Wind Farm project, an extension to the operational Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Farm. The two developers signed an Agreement for Lease with The Crown Estate in September 2020 to double the size of the existing 504MW wind farm, enough to power another 400,000 homes.
Celtic Sea Array Offshore Wind Development
Celtic Sea Array is a 1.2GW project that has been in development since 2018 and SSE Renewables are currently awaiting determination on a Foreshore Licence application lodged with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in 2019.
Arklow Bank Wind Park
The SSE Renewables Arklow Bank project which is under development is planned to be the next phase of wind energy development at Arklow Bank and will have a maximum export capacity of up to 800MW. Phase 1 of the Wind Park was constructed in 2003/04 consisting of 7 turbines with a capacity of 25.2 MW.
Setanta Wind Park
Once operational, SSE Renewables's Setanta Wind Park will be capable of generating up to 1GW of renewable energy, powering over 1 million homes annually.
Ossian Offshore Wind Farm
SSE Renewables Limited, Marubeni Corporation, and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners are combining their local experience and extensive global expertise in the development of the Ossian Offshore Wind Farm. With a potential capacity of up to 3.6GW, Ossian will become one of the world's largest floating offshore wind farms, capable of powering almost 6 million homes annually.
Innovation in offshore wind
SSE's offshore wind history
Since SSE Renewables first embarked into offshore wind two decades ago with their first co-development, the 25MW Arklow Bank project in the Irish Sea, we have grown and become a world leader in offshore wind.
In the 20 years since, we have contributed to the development and delivery of over 2.5GW of installed offshore wind farms already operating in UK and Irish waters, including the 0.5GW Greater Gabbard1, the 0.6GW Beatrice2 and the 1.1GW Seagreen3 offshore wind joint venture sites which we operate daily on behalf of our asset partners.
Seagreen is now Scotland’s largest and the world’s deepest fixed-bottom offshore wind farm.
SSE's offshore wind developments
Today, we’re leading the construction of the 3.6GW Dogger Bank4 on behalf of our asset partners Equinor and Vårgrønn, the world’s largest offshore wind farm currently in delivery which represents a total £9bn spend in infrastructure capex.
We also have the largest secured offshore wind development pipeline in the UK and Ireland at over 9GW. This includes projects such as Ossian5, our first commercial-scale venture into floating wind, and Berwick Bank which is setting new biodiversity standards.
SSE's offshore wind future
Still in our core markets, our unrivalled 5GW future pipeline of prospects includes a potential fourth phase for the world’s largest offshore wind farm, Dogger Bank, as well as over 3GW of new capacity around Ireland at Celtic Sea Array, Setanta and Tarbert.
Internationally, we’re expanding into new markets where the offshore wind opportunity is immense and critical to achieving significant emissions reductions.
Points of reference
1 The Greater Gabbard wind farm is a 50/50 joint venture with RWE Renewables.
2 The Beatrice offshore wind farm is a joint venture with Red Rock Power Limited, The Renewables Infrastructure Group (TRIG) and Equitix.
3 The Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm is a joint venture with TotalEnergies.
4 Dogger Bank Wind Farm is a joint venture with Equinor and Vårgrønn.
5 Ossian is a joint venture with Marubeni Corporation and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners.