SgurrEnergy, a leading renewable energy consultancy, was recently awarded a three-year construction monitoring contract for the 588-MW Beatrice offshore wind farm — the first commercial offshore wind farm from the Crown Estate Scottish Territorial Waters leasing round to reach this stage of development.
SgurrEnergy will also provide operational support for the first five years of the project’s operation.
The scope of the company’s responsibilities will include regular monitoring of construction and installation, checking progress and confirming consistency with the final design, reviewing permits and environmental requirements, and undertaking site visits, including factory and construction site visits.
SgurrEnergy will undertake risk management monitoring and continually review the project’s risk profile in accordance with the construction budget.
The Beatrice offshore wind farm will consist of 84 Siemens SWT-7.0-154 wind turbines, which will be the largest turbine commercially deployed offshore. 
Additionally, the project will utilize a new and innovative offshore transformer module solution in place of a standard offshore substation leading to significant cost savings.
“Involvement in what will be the first commercially operating offshore wind farm in Scottish waters has been an extremely rewarding experience,” said Fiona Shaw, senior renewable energy consultant at SgurrEnergy. “We are proud to have supported the project and look forward to our continuing involvement through the construction phase and into operations, ensuring that the lenders’ interests continue to be met.”
As part of SgurrEnergy’s role as the lenders’ technical advisor, the team undertook a review of key technical and commercial aspects of the project that include permits, consents and environmental considerations, the construction and operations phase participants, and civil and electrical works.
A technology review was conducted along with a construction and operations-phase contract review, energy yield, review of the project’s O&M strategy, PCQRA review, and financial model review.
Located in the Outer Moray Firth, approximately 14 km from the Scottish Caithness coastline, the project is expected to be commissioned in 2019.
Source: SgurrEnergy
For more information, go to www.sgurrenergy.com.
