The first shipment of XXL monopile foundations for the Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm has arrived at the Port of Leith. The 1.1 GW Inch Cape project will be the first to utilise the redeveloped port, where all 72 foundations will be offloaded, marshalled, stored and loaded out for installation. The first eight monopiles, each up to 103 metres long and weighing around 2,300 tonnes, were delivered by a heavy transport vessel that docked at the new deep-water Charles Hammond Berth.
The berth, part of a £150 million investment in the 175-acre site, includes a heavy-lift capacity of up to 100 tonnes per square metre and extensive space for renewables logistics, marshalling and manufacturing. Around £50 million of this investment was committed in connection with the Inch Cape project, Forth Ports’ largest offshore wind contract to date.
Installation of the monopiles is due to begin before the end of 2025, using Jan De Nul’s heavy-lift vessel Les Alizés, and will continue into 2026. Inch Cape will feature 72 Vestas 15 MW turbines and a single offshore substation, installed at the North Sea site in August 2025. First power is expected in late 2026, with full operations in 2027.
Inch Cape is jointly owned by ESB and Red Rock Renewables.
