Engineering works have begun at the onshore brownfield site, which will form part of the planned 1.1GW Inch Cape offshore wind project off the coast of Scotland.

The brownfield site sits in the former Cockenzie coal-fired power station on Scotland’s East Lothian coast.

Civil engineering company Careys, contracted by Siemens Energy, will be responsible for the construction of the site’s infrastructure and the new onshore Cockenzie substation, including its associated buildings.

Initial groundworks were completed at the site in December 2023. The second phase of work will see the creation of further drainage at the site, the laying of concrete bases, the construction of internal roads and bunds, landscaping and the erection of steel-framed buildings.

Residents along the construction traffic route will receive direct communication from the project on the construction programme and timings of key pieces of work, particularly any activity likely to include an increase in construction traffic or delivery of large loads and equipment, Inch Cape Offshore said in a press statement.

Elsewhere in the UK, two proposed wind farms off the coast of East Anglia have been facing legal hurdles as campaign groups look to stop their construction. On Monday, three judges from London’s Court of Appeal rejected a legal challenge from campaign group Substation Action Save East Suffolk to stop planning permission for the two wind projects citing concerns over water flood risks.

Once complete, Inch Cape will comprise up to 72 wind turbines. In 2022, Inch Cape selected Danish wind turbine major Vestas as its supplier for all turbines at the farm.

The farm will be located 15km off the Angus Coast, and the power it generates will enter the national transmission system through the Cockenzie substation. The project is set to be one of Scotland’s biggest offshore wind farms and could generate enough clean electricity to power the equivalent of half the homes in the country.