ScottishPower Renewables has signed charter agreements worth more than £16m in total with Caister-based NR Marine Services and Great Yarmouth-based OEG for the provision of vessels to support the construction of its East Anglia THREE offshore windfarm, which will come into operation next year.
The green energy company ScottishPower, part of the Iberdrola Group, said the vessels will operate out of the port of Lowestoft.
NR Marine Services will provide two crew transfer vessels (CTVs), NR Rebellion and NR Hunter, with the Typhoon Class Rebellion taking to the water from April, and the Storm Class Hunter following later in the year.
The crew transfer vessel NR Rebellion, built by Diverse Marine in the Isle of Wight, is a 25m hybrid vessel. With a service speed of 26 knots, range of 1,000 nautical miles and capacity to ferry up to 24 personnel to the construction site for the 1.4GW windfarm, it will be the first vessel of its type employed within the Iberdrola Group.
On the other hand, OEG will provide the support vessel Tess, which will carry out guard operations at the windfarm site.
“It’s fantastic to have NR Marine Services and OEG on board – supporting the construction of East Anglia THREE right on their doorstep, bringing more investment and opportunity to the region and contributing to a cleaner and greener future for us all,” pointed out Ross Ovens, ScottishPower Renewables’ managing director for offshore.
He added: “It’s also terrific to be using vessels that were built here in the UK to support the country’s clean power ambitions. These charter agreements are testament to how the East of England can service the offshore wind industry both here in the UK and right across the globe and we’re proud to have played our part in both the region’s continued growth and the success of these supply chain partners who both worked on our first windfarm here.”
East Anglia THREE will be ScottishPower Renewables’ biggest ever offshore windfarm, and the second largest in the world when it comes into operation in 2026, ScottishPower Renewables said, producing 1.4GW of homegrown clean energy – enough to power the equivalent of more than 1.3 million homes.
