The first enormous turbine blades for Scotland's new £2 billion wind farm have arrived at the Port of Dundee, ready for transport.
A total of 18 blades each 83.5 metres (274 feet) long - just 13 metres short of the height of Big Ben - were delivered to the port in the last week and brought alongside its new DunEco Quay.
They are among the first components for the Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) offshore wind farm to be delivered to Dundee, and will be stored while other components of the turbines are assembled on site.
More components are expected in the coming months including 162 tower sections, 162 blades and 54 nacelles - the energy-generating hubs at the core of each windmill.
The turbine towers will be assembled in Dundee before being shipped out on specialist vessels to the NnG site nine miles off the Fife coast to be installed.
NnG is jointly owned by French state-owned EDF Renewables and Irish public firm ESB Energy.
Some of the wind farm's components have been built at the BiFab yard in Methil, after it was saved from administration by Irish shipyard Harland and Wolff.
However, many parts have been constructed in Indonesia by contractor Saipem, to much criticism.
The wind farm will begin generating electricity in 2023 - a year later than planned.
When fully operational, it will have a capacity of 450 megawatts, or enough to power 375,000 homes each year.
Matthias Haag, NnG project director, said: “This is a major milestone for NnG as we see the first components delivered to our marine hub at the Port of Dundee.
"While the pandemic has impacted our timescales, we remain as committed as ever to working with the Scottish supply chain to get these turbines in the water and start generating clean, green electricity for the UK.”
David Webster, director of energy at Forth Ports, which owns the Port of Dundee, said: “This is what we have been working towards with our £40m investment in the Port of Dundee.
"The port is ready and we look forward to bringing the first NnG components over the quayside and to playing our part in Scotland’s drive towards Net Zero carbon emissions.”
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