Onshore Construction Start

Onshore construction for the Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm effectively commenced in 2023, when the project “started work” at the 2.6-hectare Cockenzie brownfield site, which will host the onshore substation. This marked the transition from development and preparation into full onshore civil works, with principal contractor Siemens Energy leading activity on site. The project’s own construction overview confirms that onshore construction was underway in 2023, underlining that this was not merely preliminary investigation but the start of substantive construction operations for the onshore elements of the grid connection and substation infrastructure. Following the start of work in 2023, Scottish civil engineering company RJ McLeod completed the enabling works at Cockenzie later that year, paving the way for the main civil construction phase. These main civil works, delivered by contractor Careys, are described as now nearing completion, demonstrating clear progression from the initial 2023 mobilisation through to advanced stages of onshore substation build-out. Subsequent project updates indicate that by 2025 the focus had shifted to installing shunt reactors, super grid transformers, building cladding, visual screening and site infrastructure, while in 2026 attention turns to commissioning, cable installation and finalising works at the SP Energy Networks Cockenzie Power Station site ready for grid connection. Together, this sequence confirms 2023 as the year in which Inch Cape’s onshore construction campaign formally began.