Moray East
Moray East Announces Successful Completion of Offshore Substation Installation
23/09/20, 2:18 PM
Edinburgh 23 September 2020: Moray Offshore Windfarm (East) Ltd (known as ‘Moray East’) has announced the successful installation of all three of the project’s offshore substation platforms (OSPs).
The bespoke platforms will act as collection and transformation points for the power which will be generated by the 100 turbines which will comprise the 950MW project. The OSPs will increase the voltage of the electricity generated from 66kV to 220kV, so that it can be transmitted to shore efficiently by three export cable circuits which will be trenched below the sea-bed.
The installation was carried out by DEME Offshore using the jack-up vessel, the “Seajacks Scylla”, working out of Global Energy’s facility at Nigg, which acts as a hub for the marshalling of components from across the global supply chain prior to installation.
Installation of each of the three OSPs can broadly be regarded as two operations; firstly the installation of each of the three-legged jackets at sea, and secondly the precision mating at sea of the 1200 tonne topside with stabbing pins on the jacket with a tolerance of only 30mm.
Commenting, Moray East Project Director Marcel Sunier said:
“A number of design features make this installation unique; from the three-legged jackets and the modular construction of the substation platforms, to the fact that the project will use three such platforms. All of these are pioneering in engineering terms, putting the project at the cutting edge of offshore wind design and enabling us to deliver a high volume of low carbon electricity at very low cost.
“Despite the challenges of Covid to a project dependent on the global supply chain, the installation has been safely and successfully concluded on schedule and I would like to thank all those who have made this possible”
Notes To Editors
Moray East Project Statistics
- Capacity: 950MW
- Location: UK, Moray Firth, closest point to shore, 22km from shore.
- Turbines: 100 V164 – 9.5MW
- Power for average requirements of ca. 950, 000 UK homes
- Moray East will generate sufficient electricity to save 1.4 million tonnes CO₂ equivalent annually (assuming displacement of gas generation)
- Power will be generated at £57.50/MWhr, the lowest cost of any new renewable generation and 2/3 less than offshore windfarms in operation around the UK today (typically upward of £140/MWhr)
Moray East Project Ownership & Finance:
The 950MW wind farm is being developed by Moray Offshore Windfarm East Ltd (MOWEL), which is a joint venture company owned by Ocean Winds ( 56.6%) Diamond Green Limited (33.4%) and CTG (10%).
The project financing agreements were signed on 28th November 2018 with a syndicate of commercial banks as well as EKF, Denmark’s Export Credit Agency (“EKF”) and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (“JBIC”). The financing is composed of both project finance, which includes a senior debt facility of £2.1 billion, along with other debt facilities of £0.5 billion, and an equity bridge loan facility to cover part of the equity needs. Financial close occurred on 6th of December 2018.
In September 2017, MOWEL was awarded a 15-year Contract for Difference (CfD) by the UK’s Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (“BEIS”) for the delivery of 950MW of offshore wind generation at £57.5/MWh (2012 tariff-based). The wind farm is expected to be operational by 2022.
Moray East Project Timeline:
2010 – project development commenced when development rights were won in the UK’s 3rd round of offshore wind licencing. The Moray Firth Zone (Zone 1) was split into two, Moray East and Moray West. For technical reasons, Moray East was developed first
2014 – planning consent was awarded by the Scottish Government (offshore works) and Aberdeenshire Council (onshore works)
2017 – A 950MW Contract for Difference (CfD) was won in the UK Government’s 2nd competitive CfD auction. The CfD provides a contract for electricity for 15 years at £57.50/MWhr
2018 – Project announced signing of finance agreements and achieves financial close
2020 – 2022 – Commissioning expected in 2020 / early 2021 and fully operation by 2022
Moray East Key Facts
- Consent for construction of up to 1,116MW granted in 2016
- CfD for 950MW awarded in 2017
- Connection to National Grid at a new substation to be constructed at New Deer in Aberdeenshire via underground cable (planning permission granted by Aberdeenshire Council in 2014)
- Total underground export cable corridor route 86km (52km offshore and 34km onshore)
- Total wind farm Area – 295km2
- Maximum turbine blade-tip height – 204m (669 feet)
- Minimum distance from shore – 22km (13.5 miles).
-
40%
Of Scotland's electricity will be provided
-
1.7
Million tonnes of CO2 emissions saved every year
-
1.43
Million homes throughout the UK could be powered
500
Kilometers of cabling will be installed across the site
