Ramboll to Design Innovative Substation for Hornsea One

Dong Energy has awarded Ramboll the design of a reactive compensation substation for the Hornsea Project One offshore wind farm development.

The scope of work comprises the conceptual development, detailed design and technical assistance during tendering, fabrication and installation.

The requirement for an offshore reactive compensation substation is a direct consequence of wind farms moving further offshore. The Hornsea Project One offshore wind farm will be located in the UK, app. 120 km (75 mi) off the Yorkshire coast, and 180 km (111 mi) from its connection point on land. The 1,2 GW wind farm is expected to host 150 – 240 turbines and three HVAC substations. To reduce the power loss in the export cables, the reactive compensation substation is required midway of the export cable between the wind farm and onshore connection point.

The solution of mitigating the electrical power losses by implementation of a reactor platform halfway to the connection point on land is the first of its kind. In other wind farms far from shore in the North Sea, this has been mitigated by introducing the somewhat larger and heavier HVDC platforms and using DC power in the export cable.

The Hornsea Project One offshore reactive compensation substation will be standing in 23 m (75 ft) of water.

’The platform design will be conceptualized and designed in close collaboration with our client, and our team is looking forward to working with DONG Energy, who is an ambitious frontrunner within offshore wind farm development. It is our aim to conceive a cost-effective solution by focusing on design optimization and steel weight reduction. It is an important target, which can help reduce the overall cost of offshore wind energy,’ says Department Director, Peter Busch Nielsen.

Presently the concept, which is being considered, is a traditional steel jacket and topside.

The project will run until November 2015.