• ScottishPower Renewables selects Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy as preferred bidder to supply and install some of the world’s most powerful and productive offshore wind turbines for East Anglia Hub
• East Anglia Hub – comprising three separate windfarms – will build on the success of the flagship East Anglia ONE project, which supported almost 3,500 jobs at the peak of construction, delivered 100 long-term skilled jobs, and significantly supported the UK supply chain by delivering more than 50% UK content
• The East Anglia Hub projects have the potential to deliver more than 7.5% of the UK’s 40GW target for offshore wind generation by 2030 – supporting the Government’s plans for a green recovery

ScottishPower Renewables (SPR) has selected Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) as the preferred bidder to supply and install some of the world’s most powerful and productive offshore wind turbines for its £6.5 billion East Anglia Hub programme.

This builds on the companies’ successful track record in working together to deliver the East Anglia ONE offshore windfarm, which was completed last year and has delivered significant jobs and economic benefits for the East of England.

SPR and SGRE have agreed to work together ahead of the next Contracts for Difference auction – scheduled for later this year – to optimise the projects, with the ambition of then signing turbine supply and installation agreements.

More than 200 next generation turbines are planned for SPR’s East Anglia ONE North, TWO and THREE projects in the southern North Sea – collectively known as the East Anglia Hub.

Selecting a preferred bidder at such an early stage in the development of the Hub projects creates the opportunity for SPR and SGRE to develop the turbine design and the Hub programme hand in hand, which will help achieve further efficiencies and maximise local supply chain opportunities.

The East Anglia Hub projects have the potential to deliver more than 7.5% of the UK’s 40GW target for offshore wind generation by 2030 as set out in the Government’s Ten Point Plan. To deliver on the Plan’s ambitions, this year’s Contracts for Difference auction will need to ensure sufficient deployment to put the UK on track to achieve this target.

The potential supply and installation of the East Anglia Hub turbines by SGRE would enable SPR to build on the achievements of East Anglia ONE in terms of jobs and UK supply chain content.

East Anglia ONE supported almost 3,500 jobs at the peak of construction and delivered 100 long-term skilled jobs, with more than half the supply chain coming from the UK market. This included SGRE manufacturing turbine blades in the UK and supporting jobs within local ports, including Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth.

The Hub projects would create a pipeline of continued economic investment that will support jobs and opportunities across the East of England. SPR will continue to work closely with local authorities, groups and local colleges to maximise the potential positive outcomes for local people, building on the success of East Anglia ONE.

SPR will also continue to work with local stakeholders to deliver internship and project-based work, providing young people across East Anglia with valuable work experience and industry knowledge that could set them up for a future career.

SPR is part of the Iberdrola Group, which is a world leader in renewable energy.

Jonathan Cole, Offshore Managing Director of Iberdrola Renewables said: “Offshore wind is now one of the cheapest forms of renewable generation and the approach we’re taking with East Anglia Hub – in conjunction with SGRE – shows just how far the industry has come and how well placed we are to deliver the Government’s 40GW target for offshore wind within the next decade.

“Taking advantage of the most innovative technology available to ensure East Anglia Hub is home to some of the biggest and most productive turbines on the market would allow us to realise even greater economies of scale, helping to deliver a cleaner and greener future for us all.

“We’ve already shown what we can achieve through our East Anglia ONE windfarm, which has been a huge success and represents one of the biggest and the most innovative offshore wind projects in the market. And not just in terms of producing green energy and helping tackle the climate emergency, but in having a positive and tangible impact on people, places and businesses. The facts really do speak for themselves and position us perfectly to emulate that success for East Anglia Hub.

“This is a really exciting time for growing the offshore industry and, with SGRE selected as our preferred bidder, we can now take our efforts to the next level – building on the investment, bespoke facilities and economic benefits we’ve already delivered to support local people and jobs to create even longer-lasting legacies that benefit people and communities across the East of England.”

Andreas Nauen, CEO, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with ScottishPower Renewables towards the next CfD auction to potentially construct more world-leading wind power plants, the East Anglia Hub, following the successful completion of the East Anglia ONE project in 2020.

“These projects could be significant for many reasons,  including the input that it will make to both the UK's National Grid and to employment on the east coast of England. For Siemens Gamesa, the potential deployment of our most innovative offshore wind turbine would enable us to additionally aid the UK government's plans for the green recovery by delivering clean energy and meaningful employment for years to come.”

The initial 1,400MW of power to be generated through the Hub projects via East Anglia THREE has secured planning consent. Planning applications for East Anglia ONE North (800MW) and East Anglia TWO (900MW) are currently being examined by the UK Planning Inspectorate.

Subject to the outcome of the planning considerations, construction of the East Anglia Hub is expected to commence in 2023, with completion in 2026.

East Anglia ONE

The East Anglia ONE offshore windfarm was completed during lockdown 2020 and is one of the largest offshore windfarms in the world. It comprises 102 offshore wind turbines – situated 43km off the Suffolk coast – with the capacity to produce 714MW of clean energy – enough to power the equivalent of more than 630,000 homes every year. 

It is a perfect example of the difference projects like this can make and the lasting legacies they deliver for the environment and the economy.

• Overall investment of £2.5 billion in clean, green energy 
• £25 million invested in a state-of-the-art operations and maintenance base at Lowestoft Port, delivering 100 long-term skilled jobs. 
• £5 million co-invested in Great Yarmouth Port to prepare the facility for construction and assembly of the turbine components.  
• Creating a huge amount of local and national employment, supporting almost 3,500 jobs at the peak of construction.
• £70 million committed to local suppliers delivering works across the East of England, driving jobs and investment to local communities
• More than half of the project’s supply chain provided by the UK market. 

Examples of outcomes from SPR’s programme of work in East Anglia, which will continue in 2021, include:

• sponsorship of ten engineering masters at the University of East Anglia.
• recruitment of two local young people in 2020 for a new offshore wind apprenticeship programme, where the individuals work on the EA1 project, with further recruitment planned this year;
• sponsorship of 26 places to date at the Offshore Wind Skills Centre, with a focus on retraining experienced engineers from the wider offshore or engineering sectors;
• funding the development of an online website for Skills for Energy, which will launch in 2021 including a careers hub, industry information and digital content for individuals looking to find out more about the energy industry; and
• supporting International Women in Engineering Day events across East Anglia, with more than1,000 young females engaged since 2018.

East Anglia Hub

East Anglia Hub comprises three windfarm projects that would generate up to 3.1GW of clean, green energy – enough to power the equivalent of more than 2.7 million homes*: East Anglia ONE North (800MW), East Anglia Two (900MW) and East Anglia THREE (1400MW). This would make a significant contribution to the Government’s ambitions for offshore wind as set out in its ‘Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution’.

* Equivalent number of homes powered calculated by: Number of megawatts multiplied by the number of hours in one year (8,766) multiplied by the average load factor for offshore wind (38.36% as published within the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics), divided by the average annual household energy consumption 3.781MWh. Proposed East Anglia Hub – 3,100MW x 0.3836 x 8,766 (hours per year) / 3.781MWh = 2,756,989 homes powered equivalent.