ScottishPower Renewables has successfully installed its first-ever High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) offshore converter station at the East Anglia THREE wind farm, marking a major milestone in the £4 billion development. The seven-storey structure was lifted and secured in place about 69 kilometres off the Suffolk coast.
Weighing 10,700 tonnes and standing taller than the Statue of Liberty, the converter station is the largest module ever built across Iberdrola’s global operations. At 70 metres long, 34 metres wide, and 48 metres high, it will convert electricity from alternating current to direct current generated by the wind farm’s 95 turbines.
The installation was carried out by Heerema Marine Contractors using its heavy-lift vessel Sleipnir, which also installed the project’s offshore foundations earlier this year. Fabrication of the module was completed in Mangalia, Romania, in mid-2024, before it travelled more than 3800 nautical miles to Aker Solutions’ yard in Stord, Norway, for final outfitting. Siemens Energy provided the power conversion technology.
When complete in late 2026, the 1.4 GW East Anglia THREE will be the largest wind farm across the Iberdrola Group and among the biggest in the world. The project will use HVDC technology to transmit clean electricity efficiently over long distances to the UK grid.
ScottishPower Renewables CEO Charlie Jordan said the installation marks a major step forward for the project and highlights the effort of its teams and partners in delivering a complex piece of offshore engineering.
