Inch Cape has installed its second 85km, 220kV export cable for the 1.1GW offshore wind farm off Scotland's east coast, using Enshore Subsea's ENS1100 trencher for burial. The two parallel cables, manufactured by Orient Cable (2000 mm² conductor, ~140 t/km), will link the offshore substation to an onshore substation at Cockenzie and are expected to be energised soon. Final rock placement remains to secure the cable; the project remains on track for first power by late 2026 and full commercial operation in 2027, with an estimated annual output of nearly 5 TWh.
Inch Cape Installs Second 85km Export Cable, Pushing 1.1GW Offshore Wind Project Toward Power Delivery
Enshore Subsea installed the second 220kV export cable using theCMOS Installervessel operating out of the Port of Blyth
The 1.1GW Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm has successfully installed its second 85km offshore export cable off Scotland's east coast, marking a major electrical connection milestone for the project.
Owned equally by a joint venture between ESB and Red Rock Renewables, Inch Cape continues to make steady progress toward first power late in 2026 and full commercial operation in 2027.
Installation and Equipment
Contractor Enshore Subsea laid the 220kV three-phase export cable in three roughly 28km sections using the cable-lay vessel the CMOS Installer, operating from the Port of Blyth. Offshore jointing works were completed on board the Normand Cutter, after which the cable was buried using Enshore's ENS1100 hybrid trenching vehicle.
Each conductor has a cross-section of 2000 mm² and was manufactured by Ningbo Orient Wires & Cables (Orient Cable). The cable weighs nearly 140 tonnes per kilometre. In total, 170km of export cable have now been installed for the project.
Enshore Subsea CEO Pierre Boyde said: 'We are proud of the Enshore Subsea team whose attention to detail and commitment, alongside the support of our project partners, have enabled us to successfully deliver this major milestone.'
'It demonstrates Enshore's ability to fast-track complex projects, our strength in shallow-water operations and the excellent performance of ENS1100, our latest hybrid trencher, purpose-built for the project.'
Remaining Work and Next Steps
Final rock placement is still required to fully secure the cable in the seabed, and both parallel export cables are expected to be energised in the coming weeks. Once energised, they will transmit power from the offshore substation platform to a new onshore substation at Cockenzie in East Lothian and onward to the UK national grid.
Offshore construction continues across other scopes: monopiles and transition pieces have been installed, array cable-laying is under way by the vessel Altera, and pin-pile installation for jacket foundations is being carried out by the Alfa Lift. Components for the project's 15MW turbines are being delivered to the Port of Dundee for tower assembly ahead of offshore installation.
When fully operational, Inch Cape is expected to generate nearly 5 TWh of electricity per year — enough to meet roughly half of Scottish households' annual demand.
Inch Cape project director John Hill said: 'The completion of this crucial link between the offshore and onshore substations is another major achievement for the project and testament to the excellent collaboration between the Inch Cape team and our contractors, particularly Orient Cable and Enshore Subsea.'
'The successful finalisation of this scope builds on our solid progress as we now enter the next phases of offshore construction.'
Full commercial operation is anticipated in 2027.
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