Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm has completed installation of its second 85-kilometre offshore export cable off Scotland's east coast, finalising the pair of links that will carry electricity ashore from the 1.1-gigawatt project.

The second of two 220 kV three-phase export cables was installed in three 28-kilometre sections by Enshore Subsea using the cable-lay vessel CMOS Installer operating out of the Port of Blyth. Two offshore joints were executed by jointing specialists onboard Normand Cutter, and the cable has been buried using Enshore's hybrid trenching vehicle ENS1100, with some final rock placement still to follow.

Together, the two parallel cables will transfer power from the wind farm's offshore substation platform to the new onshore substation at Cockenzie, East Lothian, before connection to the national grid. The cables are due to be energised in the coming weeks ahead of first power toward the end of this year.

John Hill, Inch Cape Project Director said: "The completion of this crucial link between the offshore and onshore substations is another major achievement for the project and testament to the excellent collaboration between the Inch Cape team and our contractors, particularly Orient Cable and Enshore Subsea. The successful finalisation of this scope builds on our solid progress as we now enter the next phases of offshore construction."

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Pierre Boyde, Enshore Subsea CEO, said: "We're proud of the Enshore Subsea team whose attention to detail and commitment, alongside the support of our project partners, have enabled us to successfully deliver this major milestone.

"It demonstrates Enshore's ability to fast-track complex projects, our strength in shallow-water operations, and the excellent performance of ENS1100, our latest hybrid trencher, purpose-built for the project. It has been a privilege to work with the Inch Cape team and we look forward to continuing that collaboration as the project goes into its important final steps."

The 2000mm² cable, manufactured by Ningbo Orient Wires & Cables Co. Ltd (Orient Cable), is among the largest AC export cables globally and weighs almost 140 tonnes per kilometre. In total, 170 kilometres of export cable have now been installed.

Offshore construction continues to progress, with monopile and transition piece installation recently completed. Current activity includes array cable laying by the new-build vessel Altera and jacket foundation pin pile installation by Alfa Lift. Components for the project's 15-megawatt turbines are being delivered to the Port of Dundee ahead of tower assembly and offshore installation.

The project remains on schedule for full commercial operations in 2027. Inch Cape is owned through a 50/50 joint venture between ESB and Red Rock Renewables and, once operational, is expected to generate almost 5 terawatt hours of electricity annually — enough to power around half of the homes in Scotland.