Blyth, United Kingdom, 5 October 2017 – The installation of five turbines off the coast of Blyth has now been completed, marking the final stage in the development of a prototype wind farm of the future.
Located approximately 6 km from the coast, the Blyth offshore wind pilot farm has a total capacity of 41.5 MW. The project integrates 3 latest generation components for the foundations, turbines and cables.
Last September, five turbines among the most powerful in the world were hoisted and placed on the foundations using a jack-up vessel specially designed for this purpose. The 8.3 MW MHI Vestas turbines are the most powerful used on an offshore wind farm.
This summer, the five gravity foundations were installed on site using a new 'float and submerge' technique, used for the first time for offshore wind turbines. Developed and manufactured by Royal BAM Group in the Neptune dry dock on the River Tyne, these so-called "gravity" foundations were transported by flotation to their respective positions off the Northumberland coast.
They were then submerged on the seabed, then ballasted to provide the weight necessary for a solid installation of the turbines.
The wind turbines will be connected to around 11 km of submarine cables 66kV buried to ensure the connection with the network on land. This is the first time that cables of this electrical voltage have been used for an offshore wind farm. On land, approximately 1.5 km of additional cables will bring current directly to a new electrical substation built on part of the site of the former Blyth power station.
The cable laying is carried out by the Dutch company VBMS, an expert in the installation of offshore cables.
“We are proud to play a leading and pioneering role with the development of the Blyth pilot offshore wind farm, alongside innovative industrial players. The completion of this new type of project is in line with the strategic objectives of the EDF Group in the field of renewable energies, namely the development of low-carbon energy sources but also innovation to combat climate change. The installation of our second offshore wind farm off the British coast gives us the opportunity to further improve our skills in this area,” said Antoine Cahuzac, Executive Director of the EDF Group, in charge of Renewable Energy and Managing Director. of EDF Energies Nouvelles.
The Managing Director of EDF Energy Renewables, Matthieu Hue, added: “The completion of this final stage of construction brings us one step closer to the completion of this wind farm. The turbines are just one of the many innovative features of this project, a veritable laboratory for testing and proving new and emerging offshore installation methods and technologies.”
The wind farm is expected to start generating electricity by the end of this year and will power the equivalent of some 34,000 homes*.
Owned at 100% by EDF Énergies Nouvelles, the Blyth pilot offshore wind project is being built by EDF Energy Renewables, a joint venture co-owned by EDF Energies Nouvelles and EDF Energy.
EDF ER previously built the Teesside offshore wind farm off the north-east coast of England near Redcar.
*41.5 MW of installed capacity x an average offshore load factor of 0.369 (a) x 8760 hours, all divided by an annual domestic consumption of 3.938 MWh per year (b)
(a) Summary of UK Energy Statistics 2016, DBEIS, July 2016.
(b) UK energy consumption, DBEIS, November 2016.
Press release published on behalf of EDF Energy Renewables by MHW PR.
EDF Energy Renewables press contacts:
Ian Watson or Jez Davison on 0191 233 1300 or addresses ian@mhwpr.co.uk And jez@mhwpr.co.uk, or Lindsey Southworth on 07813 230 279 or at lindsey.southworth@edf-er.com
NOTES TO EDITORS:
Blyth pilot offshore wind farm – key figures:
- The Blyth pilot offshore wind farm will produce enough low-carbon electricity to power around 34,000 UK homes.
- It will prevent the emission of around 57,600 tonnes of CO2 every year.
- This is the first offshore wind farm using 66 kv interconnection cables.
- This is the first time that the “float and submerge” method of gravity foundations has been used for offshore wind turbines.
- 8 MW wind turbines equipped with a power mode increased to 8.3 MW were installed on the site.
- Each gravity foundation is made from over 1,800 m3 of concrete and will weigh more than 15,000 tonnes once anchored to the seabed. These structures measure a total of 60 meters high, from their base to the access platform.
About EDF Energy Renewables:
A major player in the UK renewable energy sector, EDF Energy Renewables is dedicated to the development, construction and operation of onshore and offshore wind farms, as well as working on energy storage technologies in batteries.
EDF ER already operates 696 MW of wind power (including 319 in Scotland), to which must be added more than 545 MW authorized and 950 MW of projects under development.
EDF Energy Renewables is jointly owned by EDF Energies Nouvelles and EDF Energy.