Siemens Energy Management has received an order to design, supply and build the grid connection for the Triton Knoll offshore wind farm by German customer Innogy SE. The wind farm, 32 kilometers (km) off the Lincolnshire coast, will have an installed generation capacity of circa 860 megawatts (MW) after its completion. Triton Knoll will be capable of providing sufficient clean and sustainable power for the equivalent of at least 800,000 UK homes, making a significant contribution to the UK’s renewable energy targets.
Siemens will lead on the construction of a new four-hectare onshore substation at Bicker Fen, as well as offshore infrastructure, including two Offshore Transformer Modules (OTM ®). The Siemens OTM® is significantly smaller in size and weight compared to conventional alternating current platforms and highlights Siemens’ commitment to helping power developers improve efficiencies and the delivery program.
“This is an important project to deliver clean, green energy to UK homes and businesses and we’re delighted to be a partner. We have a strong track record in delivering grid access projects and look forward to implementing our market-leading technology at Triton Knoll,” said Carl Ennis, Managing Director for Siemens Energy Management.
Innogy’s Triton Knoll project director, Julian Garnsey, added: “I’m really pleased to have such an experienced company on board. Siemens share our goal to use our investments to the benefit of UK businesses and suppliers, and their involvement represents a very real opportunity for competitive regional and UK companies to benefit from our project. This project will trigger a capital expenditure investment of around £2 billion into much needed UK energy infrastructure.”
Work is already underway to construct a new bellmouth entry point and 3.8km access road to the new substation construction site. The onshore substation construction will start early 2019 and Siemens’ engineers have been working closely with the Triton Knoll team leading up to the start of construction, taking part in the project’s pre-construction Public Information Days.
Siemens is a global leader in offshore wind connection and has extensive experience in grid access. To date around 6,500 MW of offshore wind power has been connected to the grid by Siemens; a further 4,500 MW is contracted. Triton Knoll will be Siemens’ 10th offshore project in the UK and the 13th to be connected with alternating current (AC) technology globally.
The project will be delivered from Siemens’ Manchester office and it is anticipated a number of further supply chain contracts will be available for UK supply chain companies, with details due to be announced in the coming months.
During construction of Triton Knoll, the project is expected to support around 3,000 jobs and 170 during operation.
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