World’s first unmanned HVDC offshore platform installed at world’s largest offshore wind farm
• Dogger Financial institution Wind Farm is the primary UK Excessive Voltage Direct Present (HVDC) related offshore wind farm • c.70% discount in topside weight per MW for offshore platforms
Development of what would be the world’s largest offshore wind farm, Dogger Financial institution, has reached a milestone with the set up of the world’s first unmanned Excessive Voltage Direct Present (HVDC) offshore substation.
The substation is the primary of three platforms, equipped by Aibel, to be put in at Dogger Financial institution, in-built three 1.2GW phases generally known as A, B and C.
The Dogger Financial institution A platform measures 65 x 36 meters extensive and 39 meters excessive and sits on a four-foot metal jacket basis construction set on the seabed, at a depth of about 28m.
Roughly 146km from the closest level on land at Flamborough Head, close to Bridlington within the East Using of Yorkshire, the set up of the platform was supplied by principal contractor Sapiem.
The brand new offshore platform has a slim design and is the primary unmanned HVDC platform to be operated from shore and accessible solely by a Service Operations Vessel. The platform will obtain 1.2GW of AC energy from Dogger Financial institution A’s 95 offshore wind generators and convert it to DC, which will likely be despatched ashore to an onshore convertor station close to Beverley within the East Using of Yorkshire.
Outfitted with Hitachi Vitality’s newest technology HVDC converter know-how, Dogger Financial institution is the primary offshore wind venture within the UK to make use of this know-how to transmit the electrical energy produced again to shore, making certain that the electrical energy will be transmitted effectively over lengthy distances whereas minimizing losses.
Olly Cass, Venture Director at Dogger Financial institution Wind Farm, mentioned:
“The protected and profitable set up of the offshore platform marks a serious milestone within the Dogger Financial institution venture. Because the UK’s first HVDC platform for an offshore windfarm it is usually a serious milestone for trade within the UK extra extensively.
“The platform is managed from the shore and by eradicating the necessity for personnel to stay on the platform means it’s doable to get rid of parts similar to shelters, helidecks and sewage methods, leading to a 70% weight discount (per megawatt). ) on the floor in comparison with earlier platforms put in, and can save prices of a whole bunch of tens of millions of kilos.
“Groups proceed to make good progress putting in the turbine foundations and later in Q2 specialist cable set up and help vessels will start putting in the inter-array community of the cables that can join the generators to the offshore platform to allow the transmission of the primary energy in the summertime.”
Dogger Financial institution Wind Farm, a three way partnership between SSE Renewables, Equinor, and Vårgrønn, is about to turn out to be the most important offshore wind farm on the earth consisting of 277 wind generators. The wind farm will be capable to generate 3.6GW of renewable vitality which is sufficient clear and sustainable electrical energy to energy greater than 6 million properties.
