The London Array is undoubtedly the most widely recognized offshore wind farm in the UK. Its scale and close location to Greater London (a region in the south-east of England) is of great interest to politicians and the press.
The 1000 MW project is the largest in the world today, and the wind farm is planned to be built in two stages. The London Array is slated to power 750,000 homes - about a quarter of Greater London - and cut CO2 emissions by 1.4 million tonnes per year. Thus, it will have a beneficial effect on the environment and will also help ensure a reliable electricity supply to South East England.
Here are the conversations:
Concerning the volume of investments, the concerns prefer to keep quiet for now. Industry experts agree that it will be around £ 2.5bn (€ 2.8bn). Project preparation has been going on for many years, and recently representatives of E. ON have expressed doubts about its feasibility, complaining about the deterioration of the framework conditions: in the first place, the sharp drop in oil and gas prices nullified the benefits of projects related to the use of wind energy. At the same time, there was a significant increase in the cost of turbines.
However, then the British government signaled its readiness to increase support for offshore wind parks, which will now be provided with more than before, the so-called. green certificates (Renewable Obligation Certificates, ROC). Since 2002, UK electricity producers have been using these ROCs to confirm that they are producing the right amount of electricity from renewable energy sources.
Today the border of this norm is in the region of almost 10%. Until now, the rule was that for every megawatt of clean electricity generated, the manufacturer was entitled to one ROC certificate.
In order to encourage the construction of expensive offshore wind turbines, the UK government has already decided to stimulate the production of every green megawatt of electricity by issuing 1.5 ROC. In the 2009-2010 budget, the cabinet went to great generosity, promising to consider the possibility of increasing this standard in the period from April 23, 2009 to March 31, 2010, this standard to 2 ROC for each megawatt, and within the next year's budget it will be set at 1.75 ROC.
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In the plans of the UK government, the development of renewable energies is given a significant place, so it is very interested in the implementation of projects like the London Array.
Currently, E. ON is making billions of dollars in investments in various European countries to develop electricity production based on alternative energy sources.
Construction of the new onshore substation at Cleve Hill began in July 2009 and the first offshore construction work was completed in March 2011 when the first 177 platforms for the project were installed. The first phase of construction to be fully completed was by the end of 2012. And just recently, after four years of construction, one of the largest wind farms on the planet - the London Array - was officially put into operation. The wind farm, consisting of 175 huge Siemens wind turbines, is located 20 km along the coastal strip of Kent and Essex counties. There are also two substations there, one more on the shore.
How it all began?
The London Array project began in 2001, when a comprehensive study at the Thames estuary confirmed the possibility of a wind farm in the area. Two years later, Crown Estate leased London Array Ltd a 50-year lease of construction and cable-to-shore space.
The plan for the 1 GW offshore wind farm was approved in 2006 and the onshore work permit was obtained in 2007. The first phase of work began in July 2009 when construction began on the onshore substation at Cleve Hill, Kent.
First phase
Figures and facts:
- Area under the project 100 km2
- 175 wind turbines
- Two marine substations
- Almost 450 km of sea cable
- One onshore substation
- 630mW of electricity
- Enough capacity to supply approximately 480,000 homes a year - two thirds of the homes in Kent
- CO2 emissions will be reduced by 925,000 tons per year.
It was planned to complete the first phase of construction at the end of 2012, and the project will be handed over to the O&M team in 2013.
The London Array will generate a large amount of electricity and the substation is needed to supply the 400 kV power supply for the national high-voltage transmission network.
Project
The substation project was selected through a competition in the summer of 2006. The winning project was designed by the world renowned architectural firm RMJM (www.rmjm.com). The idea behind the project was to position the substation at right angles to the Saxon Shore Way. As a result, the main architectural feature of the substation is the North Wall, which reaches 10 m in height and consists of a series of concrete panels and stabilizers.
Location
The Cleve Hill substation is located near the village of Graveny, which is about 1 km inland from the North Kent coast. A substation is being built next to the 400 kV Canterbury-Kemsley overhead power line on the north side of Cleve Hill, adjacent to the existing buildings at Cleve Farm. The substation is being built to fit into the hillside.
Construction 20 km from the coast
This is a major challenge for any offshore wind farm and the London Array is no exception. Distance from the coast, strong winds and unpredictable sea conditions make this area a difficult place to build.
Fortunately, the latest technology and equipment will be used to help complete the job as safely and quickly as possible. The offshore work began in March 2011 when the first of 177 foundations was installed.
What should be built?
Key components of an offshore wind farm:
- Foundations for anchoring wind turbines at sea
- Wind turbines
- Multiple cables for joint connection of a group of turbines and connection to offshore substations
- Offshore substations for voltage boosting before sending electricity to shore
- Laying of cables on the seabed to connect offshore and onshore substations.
Offshore construction management
Offshore construction activities are currently managed from the temporary construction base at Ramsgate Port. Construction of the base began in the summer of 2010, and the construction team moved into the building in September 2010. Up to 45 employees will work during the offshore construction. The base is expected to remain until 2013, when the first phase of construction is completed, and could form the basis for a second phase of construction in the near future.
Who is building the London Array?
London Array Limited is a consortium of three of the world's leading energy companies that combine their experience and expertise to design and build the world's largest offshore wind farm.
Dong Energy - 50% of the project shares
DONG Energy (Denmark) is a leading European energy group. It supplies, produces, distributes and trades energy and related goods throughout Northern Europe. DONG Energy is the market leader in offshore wind technologies, having built about half of the offshore wind farms in operation today. DONG Energy is actively involved in the production and promotion of renewable energy in the UK. The company is involved in the construction of three new major UK offshore wind farms and currently operates the Gunfleet Sands (172 MW), Burbo Bank (90 MW) and Barrows (90 MW) offshore wind farms.
E. ON - 30% of the project shares
E. ON (Germany) is one of the world's most powerful gas companies. It is the UK's leading provider of energy to nearly 8 million customers. E. ON has been involved in the construction and operation of renewable energy sources since 1991 when they invested in the first onshore wind farm. They now own and operate 22 wind farms in the UK, including 60 MW Scroby Sands, an offshore wind farm off the coast of Great Yarmouth, and a Robin Rigg 60 turbine wind farm in Solway Firth. Many other projects are under development.
Masdar - 20% of the project shares
Masdar (UAE) is a strategic development and investment company in renewable energy technologies. The company acts as a bridge between today's fossil fuel economy and the energy savings of the future - developing a new understanding of how to live and work tomorrow.
Transformer substation CLEVE HILL
A new onshore transformer station, CLEVE HILL, was constructed near the village of Graveney, on the north coast of Kent.
This was necessary as the London Array will generate a large amount of electricity that needs to be sent from the sea directly to the national 400 kV high voltage grid.
About turbines
The turbines for the first phase generate 3.6 MW each. Manufactured by Siemens Wind Power and equipped with a new 120 meter Siemens rotor, each wind turbine is 87 meters above sea level.
The turbines have three blades and are painted gray. Turbines generate electricity at a wind speed of 3 meters per second.
Full power reaches 13 m / s. For safety reasons, the turbines will shut down if the wind gets stronger than 25 m / s - the equivalent of a 9 storm.
The London Array project plays a key role in the UK government's agenda to meet environmental and renewable energy targets. They include:
- reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by 34% by 2020;
- production of 15% of all energy using renewable energy sources by 2015.
After the completion of the project, carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced by 1.4 million tons per year. The first phase is capable of replacing 925 thousand tons of CO2, which will be compensated every year, helping to deal with the consequences of climate change and global warming. The London Array will have a total capacity of up to 1,000 MW and will generate electricity for 750,000 homes - which is a quarter of all households in Greater London (the region that connects the two counties of Greater London and the City of London), or all homes in Kent and East Sussex. The capacity of the first phase of the project is sufficient to connect about 480 thousand homes, or two-thirds of all homes in Kent.
The installation of the last turbine at the London Array is the culmination of a tremendous amount of effort and coordination among all involved. In the past year alone, 84 towers, 175 wind turbines, 178 sets of cables and 3 export cables have been installed. The London Array is currently in the commissioning and testing phase of the remaining turbines before being handed over to the O&M team during 2013.
Benj Sykes, CEO of DONG Energy's UK Wind business, a wind power company, said: “The installation of the latest turbine marks a turning point for the UK and DONG Energy in the history of this groundbreaking project. The London Array will soon become the largest operating offshore wind farm in the world. Building offshore wind farms of the same scale and size in the future will enable us to benefit from their size, which is an important element of our strategy to reduce energy costs.
In addition to striving to create the largest wind farm in the world, the London Array developers are also positioning their brainchild as a demonstration project that shows mechanisms for effectively reducing costs when building large wind farms. The ultimate goal of investors is to create an offshore wind farm that will be able to generate useful power by 2020 at a price of around $ 152 per megawatt hour. The facility is owned by Dong Energy, Masdar and EON. Dong Energy has a 50% stake in the project, energy giant E. ON owns 30%, and Abu Dhabi-based Masdar holds the remaining 20%.