The European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC) in Aberdeen Bay generated power for the first time on 1 July.

Clean power from Scotland’s largest offshore test site (developed by Swedish energy group Vattenfall) is being successfully exported to the National Grid from the first of the 11 turbines to go live.

The electricity was exported via the scheme’s innovative 66kV sub-sea cabling — the first time that cabling of this
capacity has been installed on a commercial offshore wind project in Scotland.

Vattenfall’s Gunnar Groebler said: “Generating power from the EOWDC, secured by Europe’s technological leadership in offshore wind, gets us to a future free from fossil fuel faster. I look forward to full power later in the summer.”

Adam Ezzamel, Vattenfall’s EOWDC project director, said: “We have overcome major engineering and technical challenges to achieve first power on the cutting-edge EOWDC thanks to the collective expertise of Vattenfall, and our contractors MHI Vestas, Boskalis and Murphy.

"Our priority now is to fully commission the wind farm safely throughout the summer. First power from EOWDC reinforces north-east Scotland’s status as Europe’s energy capital and will help establish the region as an international centre for offshore wind generation.”

The Scottish Government’s Energy Minister, Paul Wheelhouse, said: “This is a very significant milestone for the 93.2MW European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre.

"I congratulate the project team at Vattenfall for not only a successful installation but also their achievement in generating electricity from the world’s most powerful offshore wind turbines, which will generate enough energy to power a home for 24hr with each rotation.”