|14 June 2016|
England
The Blyth Offshore windfarm project will test several groundbreaking technologies
EDF Energy Renewables is to build the new offshore windfarm off the coast of Blyth in Northumberland, England. And MHI Vestas Offshore Wind will supply five V164-8.0 MW turbines for the project, which will utilise a power mode to increase performance.
Onshore and offshore work will start in 2017 to install the five turbines of 41.5MW in capacity. The turbines, will provide enough low carbon electricity to power 33 000 homes.
The Blyth Offshore Project will be the first to feature 66 kV electrical infrastructure. The V164-8.0 MW turbines feature new transformers and switchgears to enable connection to the 66 kV grid. Use of the 66 kV system allows approximately double the amount of wind turbines to be connected on one equivalent array cable string compared to the existing 33 kV system, resulting in a reduction of the electrical infrastructure per megawatt installed and thus, a significant cost saving for producing offshore wind power.
“We are delighted to have received an order from EDF Energy Renewables for the Blyth Offshore Project,” said Jens Tommerup, CEO of MHI Vestas Offshore Wind. “Blyth will be the first offshore project which MHI Vestas and EDF Energy Renewables will install together, and we look forward to partnering on an innovative project where the latest technologies will be tested.”
Matthieu Hue, EDF Energy Renewables CEO, said: “As a company, we already have a strong presence in the North East, in low carbon electricity generation and serving customers including our first offshore windfarm at Teesside so we’re pleased to be able to add another project to our portfolio in the region.”
The project will also utilise gravity base foundations – the first time this specific type of foundation will be used for an offshore wind power plant. The hybrid foundation combines the widely used steel reinforced concrete foundation, with the well-known steel monopile, allowing the foundation to be installed in deeper waters (45 m) while eliminating noise from pile hammering during installation.
Matthieu added: “We are delighted that the gravity based foundations will be made in Newcastle. The Port of Blyth will be used for operations and maintenance and the blades for the turbines will be made on the Isle of Wight.”
