The first shipment of XXL monopile foundations for Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm has arrived in the Port of Leith marking the start of a new phase of offshore construction for the project and a new era for the recently completed Forth Ports’ renewables hub.
The 1.1 gigawatt (GW) Inch Cape will be the first to use the transformed port facility, where the components for all the project’s 72 foundations will be off loaded, marshalled, stored and then loaded out for installation after completion works.
The first eight XXL monopile foundations were transported by a heavy transport vessel which docked at the recently-opened deep water riverside Charles Hammond Berth.
The berth was redeveloped as part of a £150 million investment programme at the 175-acre site, which included £50 million committed on the back of the Inch Cape work, Forth Ports’ largest ever offshore wind contract.
The arrival of the first XXL monopiles, each up to 103 metres long, weighing around 2300 tonnes and with diameters of 11.5 metres, marks the start of an intensive phase of construction for the flagship Scottish project.
John Hill, Project Director of Inch Cape said: 'This first monopile delivery into Leith kicks-off a key phase of offshore construction, and we are delighted to be the inaugural project to utilise Forth Ports’ renewables hub. Monopile supplier CWHI has done an outstanding job, fabricating the monopiles on time, within budget and with more than a million hours of safe work.'
The project will comprise 54 XXL monopiles and transition pieces, and 18 three-legged jacket foundations with three pin piles per jacket, all being delivered to Leith prior to installation. As activity ramps up, more than 100 people will work at the site delivering the project, with Forth Projects (part of the Forth Ports Group) as principal contractor.
Derek Knox, Regional Director for Scotland, Forth Ports Limited, said: 'The arrival of the first monopiles for Inch Cape is a momentous day for the team in Leith. We have transformed Leith into a world class renewables hub and the Charles Hammond Berth has been created specifically to handle the world’s largest offshore energy vessels.
'It is fantastic to see the berth and laydown land doing what they were built to do. As principal contractor, we have an exciting year ahead of us as our team of experts welcomes the project’s foundation component parts. We have invested in our infrastructure and our marine vessels and created new skilled jobs to deliver this major project. Our sister port in Dundee will also play a key role in 2026 as the turbine pre-assembly and marshalling hub.'
The Charles Hammond Berth features a heavy lift capability of up to 100 tonnes per square metre, with 175 acres of adjacent land for associated renewables logistics, marshalling and manufacturing.
The installation of the XXL monopile foundations will start before the end of the year using the Jan De Nul heavy lift vessel Les Alizés and will continue into 2026.
Inch Cape will comprise 72 Vestas 15MW turbines and a single offshore substation that was installed at the North Sea site in early August. First power is expected in late-2026 with full commercial operations in 2027.
Inch Cape is owned in a 50/50 equal joint venture by ESB and Red Rock Renewables, and once complete will generate almost five terawatt hours of energy each year or enough to power half the homes in Scotland.
Source: Inch Cape
