Scotland’s largest offshore wind test and demonstration facility connected to the transmission network
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has successfully connected the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC) to the transmission network this week.
SSEN, operating under licence as Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission plc, owns and maintains the electricity transmission network in the north of Scotland. Under its licence, SSEN is required to develop and maintain an efficient, coordinated and economical system of electricity transmission, ensuring that there is sufficient network capacity and providing a connection for developers who wish to export their generated electricity to the grid.
The connection project has been in construction since early 2017 and saw upgrades to SSEN’s existing substation in Dyce, over 7km of new 132kV underground cable between Dyce and the wind farm’s onshore substation at Blackdog, the replacement of 12km of overhead lines between Dyce and Kintore and the removal of two existing towers at Stoneyhill.
SSEN Lead Project Manager, Paul Higginbotham, said:
“I am very proud that our team have provided a connection to the EOWDC in such a short period and it is testament to the support and understanding of the local community.
“During the construction, we worked with the wind farm developer, Vattenfall, and the Blackdog Residents Association to help co-ordinate the inaugural Blackdog Gala Day in July and welcomed engineering students from Robert Gordon University to witness the underground cable pulling in October.
“Close team-working between SSEN, our lead contractors Siemens-BAM and Balfour Beatty has been vital in the timely delivery of this connection which will enable further renewable energy to connect to our transmission network in the north of Scotland.”
Adam Ezzamel, EOWDC project director at Vattenfall, said:
“This is another important step forward in the project’s construction and follows the successful installation of the first game-changing suction bucket jacket foundation. This connection enables the EOWDC to power almost 80,000 homes.”
The 92.4MW EOWDC, also known as Aberdeen Offshore Wind Farm, is Scotland’s largest offshore wind test and demonstration facility. The EOWDC will trial next generation technology and, once constructed, is expected to generate the equivalent of 70% of Aberdeen’s domestic electricity demand.
To find out more about the project, please visit the dedicated project page.
More information about the EOWDC can be found at Vattenfall’s website here
Follow the progress of the installation on Twitter.