The East Anglia Hub projects are anticipated to deliver more than 7.5 % of the UK's 40GW target
Ignacio Galán, president of Iberdrola, in one of the offshore wind farms. (Credit: Iberdrola, S.A.)
Iberdrola, through its UK subsidiary ScottishPower Renewables (SPR), has selected Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy as the preferred bidder for its £6.5bn East Anglia Hub programme.
As the preferred bidder for the East Anglia Hub programme, Siemens Gamesa will be responsible for supply and installation of offshore wind turbines.
Iberdrola’s decision to select SGRE is based on their previous partnership for works on the East Anglia ONE offshore windfarm in England.
The company said that selecting a preferred bidder at an early stage in the development of the Hub projects will create the opportunity to simultaneously develop the turbine design and the Hub programme.
The East Anglia Hub projects are anticipated to deliver more than 7.5 % of the UK’s 40GW target for offshore wind generation by 2030.
The Hub projects are expected to create a pipeline of continued economic investment that will support jobs and opportunities across the East of England.
With a capacity of 1.4GW, East Anglia THREE is part of the the Hub projects that has secured planning consent.
The UK Planning Inspectorate is currently examining planning applications for the 800MW East Anglia ONE North and the 900MW East Anglia TWO.
Construction of the East Anglia Hub is expected to commence in 2023, subject to receipt of planning approvals.
The projects are anticipated to be completed in 2026.
SGRE will manufacture turbine blades in the UK and support jobs within local ports, including Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth.
Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy CEO Andreas Nauen said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Iberdrola towards the next CfD auction to potentially construct another world-leading wind power plant, 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.”