Offshore Construction Start

Offshore construction at the Kincardine floating offshore wind farm effectively began in May 2018, when Bourbon Subsea Services initiated a turnkey project for the installation of the first floating wind turbine at the site off the coast of Aberdeen. Contracted by the Spanish construction group Cobra, Bourbon was responsible for both the engineering and execution of this installation campaign, drawing on its prior experience in floating wind projects. The press release notes that this turnkey project was “initiated in May 2018,” signalling the start of the dedicated offshore installation phase for Kincardine’s pioneering floating unit rather than merely preparatory studies.[1] Within this scope, Bourbon’s work encompassed towing the floating foundation to Dundee, pre-laying a four-leg mooring system at the offshore site, and installing the fully assembled wind turbine on location. These activities culminated in the completion of the first turbine installation during the summer of 2018, marking a key milestone for the 50 MW Kincardine development.[1] In parallel, project developer Kincardine Offshore Windfarm Limited (KOWL) prepared for additional units, with plans for six more floating turbines of up to 8.4 MW each, while the first fully assembled 2 MW turbine departed the Port of Dundee on 16 August 2018 aboard the vessel Pacific Duchess for installation at the site.[2] Subsequent phases of offshore construction built on this initial start, including a later contract awarded to Global Offshore to install one export and five inter-array cables totalling 30.3 km, with offshore works scheduled to commence in spring 2020 using the Normand Clipper and associated seabed preparation and burial campaigns.[3]