Beatrice — Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm — delivered power to the National Grid for the first time last month, following the successful installation of its first 7MW turbine.

Once the wind farm is completed in spring 2019, its 84 Siemens Gamesa turbines will be capable of providing power for the equivalent of 450,000 homes, making a significant contribution to the UK’s renewable-energy targets.

Situated 13km off the Caithness coast, the £2.6 billion wind farm is one of the largest private investments in Scottish infrastructure; it is also the largest offshore wind farm in the world built using jacket foundations, and the jackets are the deepest water-fixed foundations of any offshore wind farm, each weighing in at around 1,000 tonnes in water depths up to 56m.

John Hill, Beatrice’s project director, said: “We often talk about key milestones in a project, and Beatrice has had quite a few, but to see the first turbine turning in the Moray Firth and to have reached ‘first power’ safely — ahead of programme and on budget — is a fantastic achievement for everyone connected to the project.”

Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Ltd is a joint venture partnership between SSE (40%), Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (35%) and Red Rock Power Ltd (25%).