The first shipment of XXL monopile foundations for the 1 gigawatt (GW) Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm has arrived at the Port of Leith, initiating a new phase in the project’s offshore construction and marking a milestone for Forth Ports’ renewables hub, the companies said on Wednesday.
Inch Cape will be the first project to use the redeveloped facility, where components for all 72 foundations will be offloaded, stored, and prepared for installation.
Eight monopiles were transported by heavy transport vessel to the newly enhanced Charles Hammond Berth, part of a £150 million investment at the 175-acre site, including £50 million dedicated to support Inch Cape’s work.
Each monopile measures up to 103 metres in length and weighs approximately 2,300 tonnes.
John Hill, project director of Inch Cape, said, “This first monopile delivery into Leith kicks-off a key phase of offshore construction, and we are delighted to be the inaugural project to utilise Forth Ports’ renewables hub. Monopile supplier CWHI has done an outstanding job, fabricating the monopiles on time, within budget and with more than a million hours of safe work.”
The project will include 54 XXL monopiles with transition pieces, alongside 18 three-legged jacket foundations supported by three pin piles per jacket, all scheduled to be delivered to Leith ahead of installation.
As operations ramp up, over 100 personnel will be engaged at the site, with Forth Projects — a division of Forth Ports Group — acting as principal contractor.
Derek Knox, regional director for Scotland at Forth Ports, said, “The arrival of the first monopiles for Inch Cape is a momentous day for the team in Leith. We have transformed Leith into a world-class renewables hub and the Charles Hammond Berth has been created specifically to handle the world’s largest offshore energy vessels.”
He added, “It is fantastic to see the berth and laydown land doing what they were built to do. As principal contractor, we have an exciting year ahead as our team of experts welcomes the project’s foundation components. We have invested in our infrastructure and marine vessels and created new skilled jobs to deliver this major project. Our sister port in Dundee will also play a key role in 2026 as the turbine pre-assembly and marshalling hub.”
The Charles Hammond Berth offers a heavy-lift capacity of 100 tonnes per square metre and extensive adjacent land for renewables logistics and manufacturing.
Installation of the monopile foundations is expected to commence before the end of 2025, using Jan De Nul’s heavy-lift vessel Les Alizés, continuing into 2026.
Inch Cape will feature 72 Vestas 15MW turbines and a single offshore substation installed in August. The project aims to deliver first power by late 2026, with full operations expected in 2027.
Owned equally by ESB and Red Rock Renewables, Inch Cape is forecast to generate nearly 5 terawatt-hours (TWh) annually — enough electricity to power approximately half of Scotland’s homes.
