Aberdeen EOWDC
European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre. Test facility for next-generation turbines in Aberdeen Bay.
United KingdomTechnology
Capacity
93.2 MW ◆
Turbines
11 × 8.4 MW ◆
Model
Mhi Vestas V164 8-4 ◆
Foundation
Jacket ◆
Site & conditions
Site rights
Seabed rights held ∴
Water depth
11–34 m ≈
Distance from shore
3 km ◆
Wind speed
8.8 m/s @ 100 m ≈
Revenue & grid
Offtake
Other ◆
Grid
Secured · 2018-07 ◆
Connection
Onshore substation at Blackdog, Aberdeenshire ◆
Schedule
FID
Jul 2016 ◆
COD
Sep 2018 ◆
Project timeline & ownership verified milestones on the spine · ownership from Hafrok’s transactions record
Acquisition · 2016-Q2
Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG) → Vattenfall 25%
- Stake
- 25%
- Consideration
- not disclosed
- Announced
- 2016-Q2
- Closed
- 2016-Q3
- Project stage
- pre-FID
Vattenfall acquired AREG's 25% stake in Aberdeen Offshore Wind Farm Limited to become 100% owner. Consideration not publicly disclosed. Vattenfall then committed to invest GBP 300m in the project. Farm commissioned September 2018.
Evidence
From Hafrok’s transactions record
Dashed tick marks today (9 Sep 2026). Ownership lives in the band below: one station per recorded deal, dated at its label, in deal order rather than to calendar scale. Secondary trades appear only at the interchanges; grey lines are parties whose entry or exit Hafrok’s record does not hold.
Announced-COD history: 2018→2018-Q3→2018-09 · 3 recorded revisions · held (announced 2018, unchanged)
Revenue & offtake the regime the project was built under
Offtake regime on record
A built project sells its power under the contract or support regime it was financed with; it is not expected to bid into new government offtake rounds. Where the record does not yet name that regime, the row says so rather than guessing.
Installation how the build is going · from satellite counts and Hafrok’s registers
Satellite survey
the farm as it stands, counted from satellite radar images · built before the count began, so there is no build to chart
Satellite survey
Structures standing12≈11 turbines + 0 platforms expected · 1 more than expected — a met mast, a platform not on the register, or a position the survey missed
Surveyed2026-09-01≈from 100 satellite passes
Built2018 → 2018-09offshore construction to start of operation, from the record
Hafrok counts the structures standing in the sea from satellite radar images (≈) and reads the count against the turbines and platforms on record. The farm was built before this count began, so the images show it complete; they cannot date its construction. Rows marked with a dot (·) come from Hafrok’s own registers.
Satellite image
Image taken2026-09-07≈Copernicus Sentinel-1 radar satellite, northbound pass
Farm covered100%≈the whole farm lies inside the image
Structures ringed12 confirmed · 0 not yet confirmed≈as counted on 2026-09-01 · the image is newer than the count, so a bright spot without a ring may be a structure not yet counted
Construction ports
PortPeterhead Port ◆offshore installation
Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2026, processed by ESA and by Microsoft Planetary Computer.
Latest satellite radar image · 2026-09-07
a radar picture, not a photograph: the sea is dark, steel is bright · black is beyond the edge of the image
confirmed structure (12)seen recently, not yet confirmed (0)probably a substation platform (a larger structure than a turbine; the register above has the facts)farm boundary
Sources & verification
13/18 fields verified · rests on 13 sources (10 primary) · ◆ 10 documents held
◆Verified≈Modelled◇Sourced∴Inferred⌁Convention○Unverified∅No source·Derived
Numbers are stable citation ids — grouped by source class, so they are not consecutive.
Regulator3
[1]
Marine Scotland2013-03-26◆ EOWDC Aberdeen Bay - Section 36 Decision…
“the Scottish Ministers GRANT CONSENT under section 36 of the Electricity Act for the construction and operation of the Development, consisting of up to 11 turbines with a permitted capacity of up to 1…”
supportsConsentTurbinesDistance from shoreConsent granted
[11]
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero2026-05-06◆ Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD…
“REPD Q1 2026 quarterly extract — Ref ID 2505: Site Name "European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC) (Aberdeen Bay - Demonstration site)", Development Status "Operational", Installed Capacity 96.…”
supportsRegister entry
[14]
Scottish Government Marine Directorate (MD-LOT)2026-08-23◆ Scottish MD-LOT marine projects register…
“Register row "European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre" (key ml/european-offshore-wind-deployment-centre): Application stage "Post-consent", type "Renewables - Wind".”
supportsRegister entry
Operator7
[2]
Vattenfall AB2016-07-21◆ Vattenfall to build a wind farm off Aber…
“Vattenfall has decided to invest more than SEK 3 billion in a combined wind farm and technology development centre off the Scottish coast … The wind farm, known as the European Offshore Wind Deploymen…”
supportsoperatorFinal investment decisionOnshore constructionOffshore constructionSite rights
[3]
Vattenfall AB2018-05-28◆ Final turbine successfully installed for…
“The ground-breaking 93.2MW EOWDC, which is scheduled to generate first power in the summer, will produce the equivalent of more than 70% of Aberdeen's domestic electricity demand … It features nine 8.…”
supportsOnshore constructionOffshore constructionSite rightsTurbinesModel+3 more
[4]
Vattenfall AB2018-07-01◆ Vattenfall commissions wind turbines wit…
“On 1 July 2018, wind turbines with the world's largest capacity were taken into operation … Installed capacity: 93.2 MW … Capacity turbines: 8.8 MW (2), 8.4 MW (9)”
supportsFirst powerModelUnit capacityTotal capacityMechanism+1 more
[5]
Vattenfall AB2018-09-07◆ Vattenfall inaugurates Scottish offshore…
“Today, on 7 September 2018, the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre, with the world's largest turbine capacity, is inaugurated … Installed capacity: 93.2 MW … The eleven wind turbines, two 8.8 MW…”
supportsCommercial operationCOD history
[6]
Vattenfall AB2026-06-12◆ European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre…
“96.8 Megawatts … 11 x 8.8 megawatt Vestas wind turbines … Energy produced is transported from the turbines to the onshore substation at Blackdog”
supportsStatusConnection point
[7]
Vattenfall AB2017◆ Peterhead Port awarded major offshore wi…
“Peterhead Port Authority … will harbour the game-changing suction bucket jacket foundations for the 11-turbine scheme … The port will also moor one of the world's largest floating cranes … a project s…”
supportsoffshore installation
[12]
National Energy System Operator (NESO)2026-07-21◆ NESO Transmission Entry Capacity (TEC) R…
“NESO TEC Register, edition 21 July 2026 - PRO-000002: "Aberdeen Offshore Wind Farm", Status "Built", MW Connected 95.5, Effective From n/a, Customer "ABERDEEN OFFSHORE WIND FARM LIMITED"”
supportsRegister entry
Trade press3
[8]
[9]
[10]