(Image: Supplied)
ScottishPower Renewables has completed a world-record engineering operation at its £4 billion East Anglia TWO offshore windfarm, installing two cable ducts beneath the Suffolk coastline.
The operation used horizontal directional drilling (HDD) to install two polyethylene ducts, each nearly 1,800 metres long and 800mm in diameter, without disturbing the coastal surface.
Scottish Power's £4 billion East Anglia TWO offshore windfarm. (Image: Supplied)
The ducts are the world’s longest continuous single sections of extruded polyethylene pipe and will protect the high-voltage export cables carrying electricity from the 960MW windfarm to shore.
The work was delivered by principal contractor OCU Group, supported by its subsidiary Peter McCormack & Sons, with the ducts manufactured by Pipelife in Norway.
HDD allows engineers to drill underground while protecting beaches, dunes, cliffs and coastal habitats, making it a key technique for the technically challenging landfall stage of offshore windfarm construction.
East Anglia TWO is located in the southern North Sea, around 33km from the Suffolk coast, and is expected to generate enough electricity to power almost one million homes.
Scottish Power's £4 billion East Anglia TWO offshore windfarm. (Image: Supplied)
The project is scheduled to begin installing export cables in summer 2027, with commercial operations targeted for late 2028. It has contributed more than £1.5 billion to the UK supply chain to date.
The installation marks a milestone for Pipelife Norway, which manufactured the 1,793-metre pipes at its facility in Stathelle before they were transported by tow to Thorpeness in England.
ScottishPower Renewables currently operates more than 40 windfarm sites, generating over 3GW of renewable energy, enough to power around two million homes.
Its parent company, Iberdrola, is investing £24 billion in the UK between 2024 and 2028 to support its offshore and onshore renewable energy ambitions.
Scottish Power's £4 billion East Anglia TWO offshore windfarm. (Image: Supplied)
Ross Ovens, managing director for offshore at ScottishPower Renewables, said:"The completion of this colossal HDD, which is three times the length of our other East Anglia projects, is a huge achievement – quite literally – and a major milestone as we progress construction of our third windfarm in the region.
"Landfall works are known to be one of the most technically challenging aspects of building an offshore windfarm, but thanks to precision planning and a great partnership with our principal contactor OCU Group and duct manufacturer Pipelife, this programme has well and truly hit the mark – breaking UK and world records in the process.
"It’s incredible."
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Mike McNulty, HDD director at OCU Group, said: "Delivering a landfall HDD of this scale is an exceptional engineering achievement, demanding meticulous planning, technical expertise and close collaboration.
"Successfully installing the first 1,800-metre, 800mm diameter PE pipe in a single continuous section is testament to the skill and commitment of everyone involved."
Martin Myhre, project manager at Pipelife Norway, said: "At 1,793 meters, this is the longest pipe Pipelife Norway has ever manufactured, making it a significant milestone for us.
"The pipe’s journey was also quite extraordinary.
"After being manufactured at our facility in Stathelle, Norway, it was transported all the way to Thorpeness in England by tow.
"A project of this scale takes close collaboration and careful planning throughout the entire supply chain, and we are very proud to have contributed to this record-breaking achievement."