SSE Renewables has said it has reached a significant milestone at its test facility at Hunterston, North Ayrshire.

Electricity was exported for the first time from its offshore wind turbine at the site.

The Siemens SWT-6.0-154 wind turbine, is 177-metres high and used the latest offshore turbine technology to generate 6MW of electricity.

The Hunterston site, which is located on the North Ayrshire coast, has similar wind conditions to those found offshore, as well as access to the Grid and an adjacent jetty for facilitating component deliveries to make it an ideal location for turbine manufacturers to test their latest turbine equipment before deploying it offshore.


Ian Flannagan, SSE's Project Construction Manager, explained: "It's great to see the Siemens wind turbine generating electricity for the first time which is testament to the hard work and commitment shown by everyone involved in the project.

"We are busy preparing the site ahead of the second turbine, a Mitsubishi SeaAngel 7MW offshore wind model, arriving in a few months time."

Clark MacFarlane, Managing Director, Siemens Wind Power Offshore UK&I said: "We are delighted with the news of first power for our 6MW turbine at Hunterston. This is another important milestone for our next generation wind turbine technology.

"The SSE and Siemens team has worked extremely hard to get to this point and should feel proud of their achievement in delivering this important clean energy project."

The project, which is the UK's first onshore test site for offshore turbines, is being supported by Scottish Enterprise, the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the Department of Business, Innovations and Skills (BIS).

Construction work will continue at the second berth on site, preparing the foundation for the Mitsubishi turbine which is expected to arrive on site for assembly and commissioning in summer 2014.

(JP/IT)