Our offshore infrastructure

Our offshore infrastructure will include the turbines, offshore substations and cables. We also need to identify the cable landfall location (the point at which cables carrying the electricity being generated reach the shore).

The area that we are currently evaluating for where our offshore cable route could be located is known as the Offshore Transmission Assets Scoping Boundary, shown on the map above.

We would welcome comments on Offshore Transmission Assets Scoping Boundary that may help us as we determine factors to be considered when deciding where our offshore infrastructure should be located.

These could be comments on anything from marine ecology to shipping routes or seascape visual impact.

How we construct an offshore wind farm

We are currently developing and refining details around how our offshore infrastructure will be constructed, operated and maintained.

Typically this would include the following broad activities:

• Prior to installation, some seabed preparation activities may be required such as removing sand and boulders to clear a route for the offshore cable and the turbine foundations;
• The wind turbine and offshore substation foundations are then installed, before the wind turbine tower, blades and the substation structure are installed on top of the foundations. The offshore substation platforms and booster station are also installed;
• Inter-array cables will be installed into the seabed between each wind turbine, between the wind turbines and the offshore substations; and between the offshore substations and the shore. This will involve a number of different types of vessels including those with cranes installed, support vessels and cable vessels;
• At the landfall, the offshore export cables will be brought ashore before being connected to the onshore export cables.

The exact methodology or methodologies are being developed and will be presented via future engagement.

Turbines and other infrastructure

It is too early in the process to know the size and number of turbines required, along with the size and location of offshore substations, or the location of interarray cables, but we are working to develop that information for our next stage of consultation.

Due to the nature of each wind farm, Morecambe and Morgan infrastructure won't necessarily look the same. This will form part of the information shared at the next consultation.