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ScottishPower Renewables has successfully installed its first-ever High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) offshore converter station at the East Anglia THREE windfarm, located approximately 69km off the Suffolk coast.
The massive structure is heavier than the Eiffel Tower and taller than the Statue of Liberty, weighing 10,700 tonnes and standing at seven storeys high. Measuring around 70 metres long, 34 metres wide, and 48 metres high, the module is the largest ever constructed across the whole Iberdrola Group.
The HVDC station is a crucial piece of infrastructure, designed to convert the electricity from the windfarm's 95 turbines from high-voltage alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC). This is the most efficient method for transporting power over long distances.
The £4 billion East Anglia THREE project is the first of ScottishPower Renewables' offshore windfarms to utilise this advanced HVDC technology.
Charlie Jordan, CEO ScottishPower Renewables, described the milestone as a testament to the hard work of the teams involved. "Installing our first ever offshore HVDC converter station is testament to the hard work of our teams and suppliers to deliver such a complex feat of engineering," he said.
The complex installation process was carried out by the world's biggest crane vessel, the Heerema Marine Contractors' SSCV Sleipnir. The same vessel had earlier this summer installed the project's offshore jacket foundations.
Fabrication of the module was completed in Mangalia, Romania, in mid-2024. It then undertook a journey of over 3,800 nautical miles to Aker Solutions' yard in Stord, Norway, for completion. The power transmission technology inside the module was supplied by Siemens Energy.
Once operational at the end of 2026, the 1.4 GW East Anglia THREE will be the largest windfarm in the entire Iberdrola group, producing enough clean energy to power the equivalent of more than 1 million homes.
Darren Davidson, Vice President of Siemens Energy UK&I, noted the significance of the technology: "HVDC enables efficient long-distance power transmission with reduced losses, supporting the UK's grid stability."
