Wind turbine maker Siemens Gamesa has secured a firm order with Iberdrola's ScottishPower Renewables to supply 95 units of its flagship SG 14-236 DD wind turbine to the East Anglia 3 wind power project in the North Sea, off England’s east coast, with a total capacity of 1.4 GW.
Also included is a service contract, initially for an eight-year period. This will mark the first installation of SG 14-236 DD turbines in the UK.
East Anglia 3 is the second of four projects planned in the ScottishPower Renewables 2.9 GW East Anglia Hub development in the North Sea.
The project will cover an area of approximately 305 km², at its closest point 69 km from the Norfolk coast, in the northern part of the East Anglia zone. Once completed, it will be the world's second-largest offshore wind power plant, providing electricity to 1.3 million UK homes.
Installation is anticipated to begin in spring 2026 and to be completed by the end of that year.
"Siemens Gamesa has been severely impacted by the economic challenges facing renewables supply chains, and this firm order has only been possible due to the parties' unwavering commitment to support the project. Siemens Gamesa leads the industry in calling upon the UK government to support the renewables industry to deliver more such developments, which are the only way the country can meet its targets for clean, secure and affordable electricity by 2030," Siemens Gamesa said.
Siemens Gamesa Offshore CEO Marc Becker says: "In these challenging times, it is encouraging to sign this firm order with ScottishPower Renewables as we jointly move to a more financially sustainable wind industry, but we need the UK government to fully recognize that renewable energy, especially wind generation, is now on the same level of importance as oil and gas and requires similar levels of support to ensure it delivers what the UK needs to reach crucial Net Zero targets.”
While Siemens Gamesa did not share the value of the contract, Reuters has cited ScottishPower Renewables as saying it had signed a 1.3 billion pound ($1.60 billion) order for wind turbines with Siemens Energy.
"The 95 flagship 14.7 MW (megawatt) turbines will have a combined capacity of 1,400 MW, generating enough green energy to meet the annual demand of 1.3 million homes," Iberdrola said in a statement, cited by Reuters.
A grid connection solution from Siemens Energy will ensure that the electricity from wind power can be brought to shore.
Under the contract signed last year, Siemens Energy will build a converter on the high seas that will collect the alternating current generated by the Siemens Gamesa wind turbines and convert it into direct current for low-loss transmission to the coast. A second converter on land will transform the power back into alternating current so that it can be fed into the local grid and eventually be supplied to consumers.
The anticipated lifetime of the project will be 25 years. The prototype of Siemens Gamesa's flagship SG 14-236 DD offshore wind turbine model recently generated its first power at the Østerild Test Center in Denmark.
"Since its launch a year ago, this model has already made Siemens Gamesa a preferred supplier for projects totaling another 2.8 GW in Denmark and Poland," Siemens Gamesa said.
Worth noting, Danish offshore wind installation firm Cadeler said Wednesday it had secured a contract with ScottishPower Renewables to install the 95 wind turbines at the East Anglia 3 project. Read more here.