GE Renewable Energy’s Grid Solutions business was recently awarded a multimillion-dollar project to design, supply, construct and commission onshore and offshore wind substations for the Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) offshore wind farm, which is 12 mi off the Fife coast in Scotland. The project is jointly owned by EDF Renewables, one of the United Kingdom’s leading renewable energy companies, and ESB, an Irish Energy Company. GE is responsible for the turnkey delivery of all infrastructure within the perimeter, including ground works and civil construction. NnG is expected to be fully operational by 2023.
Wind power is Scotland’s fastest growing renewable energy solution. According to Weather Energy, wind turbines in Scotland provided enough electricity between January and June 2019 to power 4.47 million homes, nearly twice the country’s domestic power requirements.
Translating to “Strength of the Wind,” NnG will help both Scotland and UK meet carbon emission reduction goals. The 400/220kV onshore wind substation will be built on a greenfield site. Once operational, the entire project will offset more than 400,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year and provide electricity equivalent to powering 375,000 Scottish homes.
In a consortium arrangement, GE is collaborating with HSM Offshore BV in the Netherlands and IV-One. HSM will provide the offshore topside platform designed by IV-One, which will house GE’s 220kV and 66kV substations.
The project’s onshore and offshore substation equipment includes four power transformers, four reactors, the static synchronous compensator (STATCOM), power quality components, and gas insulated switchgear—at 66kV, 220kV and 400kV—as well as protection and control, SCADA, and telecommunications systems. This solution will allow for 450 megawatts (MW) of low carbon energy to be connected to the Scottish electricity grid.
To learn more about the project, read the original release from GE.