ScottishPower Renewables has completed the installation of two cable ducts for the East Anglia Two offshore wind farm, creating a protected route for the high-voltage export cables that will carry electricity from the project to shore. The ducts were installed using horizontal directional drilling (HDD), which creates an underground bore beneath the Suffolk coastline and seabed without requiring excavation of beaches, dunes or cliffs. The method helps limit disruption to coastal habitats and landscapes, with drilling rigs operating onshore and offshore.
Each duct is just under 1,800 metres long and 800 millimetres in diameter. According to the project team, they are the longest continuous single sections of extruded polyethylene ducts used for this type of installation worldwide. The combination of length and diameter also makes this the largest electricity transmission landfall of its kind in the UK.
The works form part of the East Anglia Two civil engineering programme, led by principal contractor OCU Group with support from its subsidiary Peter McCormack & Sons. The contract supports more than 80 jobs during construction. The ducts were manufactured by Pipelife.
Installation of the first export cable is expected to begin in summer 2027, with the wind farm targeting commercial operation in late 2028.
East Anglia Two will be located in the southern North Sea, approximately 33 kilometres from the Suffolk coast at its nearest point off Southwold and 37 kilometres from Lowestoft. The project will have a capacity of up to 960 MW, with electricity generation equivalent to the needs of almost one million homes, according to ScottishPower Renewables.
