Forewind Signs 2GW Grid Connection Contract with National Grid (UK)

Forewind, development partner for the Dogger Bank offshore wind farm zone, potentially the world’s largest wind energy project, has signed an agreement with National Grid for two 1GW grid connections potentially located in Teesside.

Subject to the results of technical studies, yet to be completed, indications are that both grid connections could be at an existing National Grid substation site at Lackenby, east of Middlesborough.

In March last year Forewind accepted a 1GW grid connection offer made by National Grid to connect its first project into the existing Creyke Beck substation, north of the Humber Estuary in East Riding of Yorkshire. This latest signing will enable Forewind to proceed with the development of two more 1GW projects.

Forewind Head of Electrical Systems, David Flood said Forewind has worked closely with National Grid over the past 18 months to identify these mutually acceptable grid locations.

“Both organisations have spent considerable time and effort working together on this agreement which means Forewind will now be able to proceedwith determining the optimum onshore cable routes and coastal cable landfall points to connect the two 1GW offshore wind farms to the electricity network,” Mr Flood said. “We have already started engagement with local stakeholders near the grid connection location and will now commence preliminary technical and environmental studies.”

Forewind has the objective to achieve consent for a target-installed capacity of 9GW of offshore wind farm projects by 2020, however the zone has the potential for up to 13GW. This figure equates to almost 10 per cent of the UK’s projected electricity requirements.

This huge undertaking means that the zone will be developed as a series of up to 12 separate similar-sized wind farm projects. The first three projects, in total 3GW, could feasibly generate almost as much green energy as the total amount of electricity used by homes, businesses and industry in the North East every year.

Forewind will continue to engage with National Grid to identify further suitable connection points for the subsequent projects to provide timely, cost-effective and environmentally acceptable solutions.

Work is well underway on the identification of the offshore sites for the first three individual wind farm projects within the Dogger Bank zone. Eachwind farm will comprise: several hundred wind turbines, a number of offshore substations, an export cable, and up to two onshore converter stations withassociated infrastructure.

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Source: forewind, October 26, 2011