Scottish Power is heading west to stake its claim in the US offshore wind rush after scooping up the right to build two mammoth wind farms off the east coast.

The energy giant has quietly broken into the burgeoning market by successfully bidding for two major offshore wind projects, each the size of its entire UK portfolio.

“We’ve probably got the biggest offshore development pipeline of any company in America,” said Keith Anderson, the company’s global boss.

The company’s renewables arm is creating a crack team of offshore engineers and wind farm experts to set up the new office in Boston, Massachusetts later this year.

Its US debut will be the Vineyard Wind project which is located 14 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard off the coast of Massachusetts. Scottish Renewables snapped up a 50pc stake in the project, which spans 115 square miles and will begin generating power within five years.