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

The jacket foundation is a key part of the company’s £4 billion East Anglia THREE offshore windfarm.

Weighing in at around 3,700 tonnes and standing 59 metres high, the four-legged jacket is now fixed to the seabed, 69km off the coast of Suffolk. The installation was completed by Heerema Marine Contractors' SSCV Sleipnir, the biggest crane vessel in the world, which sailed from Aker Solutions' Verdal fabrication yard in Norway.

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Pedro Fernandez, ScottishPower Renewables' East Anglia THREE Project Director, said seeing the steel lifted into place was a "truly impressive sight" and called the offshore construction programme a "feat of engineering."

At 1.4 GW, the East Anglia THREE windfarm will be among the largest in the world when it becomes operational at the end of 2026. It will produce enough clean energy to power the equivalent of more than 1 million homes.

Further milestones are now expected as the project progresses, including the installation of the turbine foundations, the fit-out of the converter station topside, and the laying of the inter-array cable network.