RWE has successfully completed all the major onshore electrical system construction works for Triton Knoll Offshore Wind Farm; this follows hot on the heels of the final Turbine in September.
The works, which commenced in September 2018, involved laying 57km of 220kV underground cable from the project’s landfall location near Anderby Creek to the newly constructed Triton Knoll Onshore Substation near Bicker Fen. A further 1.8km of 400kV cabling was installed to allow connection into the UK national grid at the existing National Grid Bicker Fen Substation.
The offshore wind farm generated its first electricity in February 2021 which marked a key milestone for the project partners as it delivered renewable electricity to homes and businesses for the first time. Following the successful completion of turbine installation, offshore commissioning works are ongoing and, once fully operational, Triton Knoll Offshore Wind Farm will generate enough green electricity to meet the needs of around 800,000 homes each year, helping to decarbonise the UK’s energy system.
In delivering the onshore construction works, the project aimed to boost the local economy, including sourcing engineering, civils and reinstatement contracts from the UK.
Julian Garnsey, Project Director for RWE and Triton Knoll, said: “We have worked closely with all our supply chain to ensure that construction progressed safely and efficiently, even during the Coronavirus pandemic. We’d like to thank everyone involved for their dedication to ensuring the safety of all whilst building this nationally significant infrastructure project. We’d also like to thank the local communities and landowners for their understanding and cooperation while we completed the construction works. Land has been handed back to owners ahead of schedule in many locations and reinstatement works are complete, with the vast majority of the land already returned to agricultural use.”
Siemens Energy was responsible for the construction of both the onshore and offshore substations and the installation of the 400kV cabling. Phil Manley, project director for Siemens Energy, said: “I’m incredibly proud of the Siemens Energy team who has delivered this vital infrastructure project in challenging times. As a responsible contractor, it has been important to us that the only mark we leave on the landscape is the state-of-the-art substation which will feed the clean electricity generated offshore to the thousands of homes and businesses in the area. We are delighted this work is now complete and the wind farm takes a step towards completion.”
Construction and engineering company J Murphy & Sons carried out the 57km onshore cable installation. Graham Carr, managing director for Energy at Murphy, said “It’s a great honour to be involved in delivering one of the UK’s most significant infrastructure projects, and the longest cable route of any offshore wind farm ever installed in the UK. This was a great project that demonstrated the skills and capabilities of our teams and help deliver renewable energy safely and reliably to thousands of homes and businesses.”
RWE is one of the world’s leading renewable energy companies, alongside Triton Knoll, RWE is constructing the 1.4 GW Sofia Offshore Wind Farm and is progressing four extension projects in the UK, with a combined potential installed capacity of around 2.6 GW (RWE’s pro rata share: 1.3 GW.) Furthermore, the company successfully bid for two new adjacent offshore sites on Dogger Bank, with a potential total installed capacity of 3 GW, in The Crown Estate’s Offshore Wind Round 4 Leasing auction.
The project is located over 32km off the Lincolnshire coast, with a turbine array that covers an area of 145km2.