Germany: H&Askham Wins Trianel Offshore Wind Farm Electrical Installation Work

Borkum West II, also known as Trianel Windpark Borkum, set in German waters in the North Sea is the latest project H&Askham are adding to the ever growing portfolio of works it can boast in the Offshore Wind Sector. Teams were mobilised to the project to begin HV termination and jointing works in early July, however the company’s highly skilled Test Technicians have already been working on the project for several months.

H&Askham’s Test Engineers have been supporting the installation vessels as the 33kV array cables are being installed between the 40 Areva Wind M5000 5MW turbines. The completed wind farm will see 80 turbines delivering power into Germany’s high voltage network.

The turbines will stand approximately 148m; for most this size is difficult to imagine, so it might help to know that the average house stands at about 7m, Nelsons Column in London reaches to just under 52m, whilst the tower that houses Big Ben is 96.3m high. At 135m the London Eye would even be dwarfed by these incredible structures.

The rotor diameter spans 116m and the blade trio is constructed on land before being shipped off for installation. The size and scale of these projects are immense and incredible feats; it really is engineering at its best.

H&Askham has extensive experience in the field of offshore wind. In 2012, the company delivered its largest project to date working on The London Array, a 175 turbine wind farm based in the Thames Estuary. The 4th July saw the official inauguration of the wind farm and it is now fully operational.

All of the personnel working on these projects for H&Askham are fully certified in their specialist discipline which include High Voltage Jointing, Fibre Optic Splicing or Testing (VLF, TDR, OTDR) and are all trained to work in the offshore environment.

However, the services the company provides for these projects extend beyond the skilled technicians carrying out the electrical installation and testing tasks. H&Askham also has project teams including Offshore Coordinators, Project Engineers and Managers to ensure its projects are delivered efficiently and effectively.

The offshore wind sector is still in its infancy and the H&A Renewables team have been at the heart of the early growth phase. Experiencing this learning curve has allowed the team to make some valuable contributions on all of its projects to date, to help improve installation efficiencies and overcome engineering problems presenting positive financial and timescale implication.

[mappress]

Press release, July 18, 2013