East Anglia THREE offshore converter station jacket beds down in North Sea

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The foundation of the East Anglia THREE offshore substation has been successfully installed in the North Sea

The massive steel structure that will house ScottishPower Renewables’ first-ever HVDC offshore converter station has been successfully installed in the southern North Sea.

Weighing in at around 3,700 tonnes and standing 59 metres high, the four-legged jacket foundation for the green energy company’s £4 billion East Anglia THREE offshore windfarm is now fixed to the seabed – 69km off the coast of Suffolk – at a water depth of 36m.

The installation was completed by Heerema Marine Contractors’ SSCV Sleipnir – the biggest crane vessel in the world – after sailing in from Aker Solutions’ Verdal fabrication yard in Norway.

The 1.4 GW East Anglia THREE offshore windfarm will be the biggest-ever windfarm across the whole of the Iberdrola group and among the largest in the world when it comes into operation at the end of 2026 – producing enough clean energy to power the equivalent of more than 1 million homes.

Pedro Fernandez, ScottishPower Renewables’ East Anglia THREE Project Director, part of Iberdrola's subholding company in the United Kingdom, said: “The offshore construction programme for East Anglia THREE is the biggest feat of engineering we’ve ever undertaken – to see 3,700 tonnes of steel lifted safely and securely into place, with exacting and medical precision, is a truly impressive sight.

You can read the full story in the Scottish Power Press Room.