Engineering news
Petrofac and GE have announced a contract worth over £110 million to engineer, construct and install a turnkey power system to connect up to 336MW of clean energy from the Galloper offshore wind farm off the coast of Suffolk to the grid.
In support of the project, Petrofac will provide topside and jacket foundation designs, fabrication, transport and installation of the offshore substation and offshore logistics to support hook up and commissioning. GE will provide overall electrical system design in addition to onshore and offshore substation equipment, all related power transformers and gas insulated switchgear at 132kV and 33kV.
In addition, GE will provide two static var compensators, each connected to the grid by its own power transformer, which will provide dynamic voltage support to ensure grid code compliance, a stabilised power supply and strengthened transmission grid to ensure the efficient connection of the new wind farm to the British transmission system.
It will also provide protection and control for the safe operation of the wind farm, which will include the telecommunications needed between the onshore and offshore substations and the wider network. In addition, it will deliver all ancillary and supporting electrical equipment such as auxiliary and earthing transformers, battery systems, back-up generators and low voltage systems
“We are proud to be a part of such a significant project – helping Britain to include more renewable power in its energy mix,” said Neil Beardsmore, North Europe commercial solution leader at GE’s Grid Solutions. “The ability to effectively transmit and integrate Galloper’s energy to the British grid is essential to bringing efficient and reliable clean energy to UK households."
Toby Edmonds, project director at Galloper Wind Farm, said: “Once constructed Galloper offshore wind farm will be capable of generating enough clean energy to meet the needs of over 330,000 homes. We’re delighted to have GE and Petrofac on-board with their excellent experience and expertise in the building and delivery of major electrical components. We look forward to continuing our work with them to realise the successful completion of the wind farm.”
The Galloper Wind Farm project is now fully underway. Construction will continue through 2016 with the offshore substation scheduled to be installed in 2017. The wind farm will commence operations in March 2018.