Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) has downplayed reports suggesting the opening of its giant Greater Gabbard offshore wind farm could be delayed, insisting it remains "very confident" the world's largest offshore wind farm will be completed on schedule.

The company, which recently ended its involvement in a nuclear energy consortium in order to better focus on its renewable energy build programme, issued an update on its large capital projects late last week. This prompted media reports suggesting SSE's flagship offshore wind project was at risk of delay as a result of a legal battle between the developers.

The company confirmed that Greater Gabbard Offshore Winds Limited (GGOWL), the joint venture SSE set up with RWE npower, was in dispute with US engineering giant Fluor Limited over £300m of costs incurred through additional testing and repairs.

Fluor is pursuing compensation for the additional costs it faced while carrying out testing work on monopiles and transition pieces, prompting what SSE described as a "very robust defence".

The energy company also confirmed that GGOWL is continuing to test the structural integrity of a number of the monopiles and transition pieces at the centre of the dispute, stating it "retains the option of submitting its own substantial claim against Fluor Limited should the need arise".

Crucially, SSE acknowledged that "disputes of this kind can present potential risks to project timetables", prompting suggestions that the timetable for the project is at risk.

However, a spokesman for SSE told BusinessGreen that the company remains "very confident" that the project will be completed by the end of next year as scheduled, noting that 115 turbines have already been installed and 72 have been energised.

The company also provided an update on a host of other wind farm developments, confirming that several projects have been completed ahead of schedule.

It said that the 130MW Clyde South onshore wind farm has come online earlier than planned, while the 220MW Clyde Central and North projects remain on track to be completed by mid-2012.

Similarly, the 156MW Griffin onshore wind farm is now on course to be completed by the end of the year, several months ahead of the original spring 2012 deadline. The second phase of the 367MW Walney offshore wind farm also remains on track to be completed next year after the first phase came online this summer.