Contract awarded for infrastructure work on Scotland’s largest offshore windfarm.

SSE Enterprise Telecoms has been contracted to provide the communications infrastructure for what will be Scotland’s largest offshore windfarm.

The connectivity provider will be responsible for the installation of a comprehensive wide area network (WAN) on the £3 billion Seagreen windfarm project in the North Sea.

The WAN will stretch between a substation at Tealing in Dundee to the operations centre in Montrose. SSE Enterprise Telecoms said that the connection will provide offshore wind farm engineers based at Montrose with the visibility of supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and technical equipment at Tealing needed to manage the distribution of power to the substation.

The work is expected to get underway later this year, with the project’s onshore construction having already commenced. Due for completion in 2022/23, SSE Enterprise Telecoms said that the windfarm will provide enough energy to power 40% of all Scottish homes.

Paul Clark, SSE relationship director at SSE Enterprise Telecoms, commented, “Telecoms infrastructure companies like ours play a vital role in keeping businesses connected and their operations functioning properly. Given the complexity of this project, our vast experience in developing critical infrastructure projects will be essential. We’re also able to bring our expertise gained from other renewables projects to bear, as well as our access to cutting edge technologies.

“We have already delivered logistical support on 19 wind farms within SSE Group’s portfolio, so we look forward to supporting efforts to get Seagreen up and running. We are also proud to support the overall Seagreen offshore wind farm project which will play a huge role in helping the UK meet its Net Zero targets as well as provide an estimated £1bn boost to the nation’s economy.”

Mick McCaffery, Seagreen systems project manager, added, “SSE Enterprise Telecoms has a strong pedigree in delivering wind farm network infrastructure and a comprehensive understanding of the consequences, should a wind farm become un-operational. As such, we are confident they will bring the necessary experience and expertise to deliver a solution that will help prevent such a scenario. We’re pleased to have a partner of this calibre on board, which will undoubtedly be to the benefit of the region and the country at large.

“The UK needs to be generating 40GW of offshore wind power by 2030 to contribute toward net zero targets, so projects with the scale and ambition of Seagreen will be vital components of that low carbon vision.”