Saipem 3000 – Credit: Saipem (file image)
Italian offshore energy industry services firm Saipem said Tuesday it had completed installation works for the Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) offshore wind farm, located in the North Sea, 15.5km off the east coast of Scotland.
Once operational, the 450MW NnG offshore wind farm will able to generate enough electricity to power around 375,000 homes.
In 2019, Saipem was awarded a contract by Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) Offshore Wind Limited, a company owned by EDF Renewables UK and ESB, marking Saipem’s first turnkey project in the offshore wind farm sector.
The scope of work included the engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) of 54 steel foundation jackets for an equivalent number of wind turbine generators, two steel foundation jackets for the offshore substations, as well as the transportation and installation of the associated topsides.
The jackets were all designed by Saipem’s engineering centers in the UK and Italy and manufactured at Saipem-owned yards located in Karimun, Indonesia, and Arbatax, Italy.
NnG Offshore Wind Limited’s Project Director, Matthias Haag, said: “This has been a landmark project for everyone involved and we’re grateful to Saipem for the important role they have played in getting NnG to a point where we are now installing turbines and expect to generate first power shortly and see the project complete early next year”.
The installation of the foundation piles was completed in late summer 2023 by the Saipem 3000 heavy lift vessel, while the Saipem 7000 semi-submersible crane vessel completed jacket installation.
