The first transformer station has been delivered to the onshore substation of the Triton Knoll offshore wind farm in the UK.
The transformer set sail from the manufacturing site in Austria towards the Sutton Bridge port in Lincolnshire, from where it was lifted onto a trailer and driven 20 miles to the Bicker Fen site.
Once the transformers are skidded into position, the installation of associated electrical equipment will begin.
“This is a significant milestone in the construction of the Triton Knoll Onshore substation, which sits at the very heart of our project. We’ve made major progress in the last year, with the substation platform, foundations and infrastructure taking real shape on site,” said Julian Garnsey , Project Director for Triton Knoll and innogy.
“We’re now preparing to start offshore construction in the first quarter of 2020, so the installation of this impressive equipment ensures we stay on track to become a major UK state-of-the-art renewable energy generator, typically powering over 800,000 UK homes.”
Triton Knoll has two transformers, each 13m long and 4m wide during transportation. Once associated electrical equipment has been added, they will double in size to 26m long and will be 6.6m wide and 240t heavy.
According to the project developer, the substation construction work has progressed significantly, including the construction of the main access road, the substation platform, piling works and access to the existing National Grid substation already completed. Civils works started earlier this year, with the completion of the substation construction due in 2020.
Triton Knoll will feature 90 MHI Vestas 9.5MW turbines located off the UK’s East Coast. The 860MW project, owned by innogy, J-Power and Kansai Electric Power, is scheduled to enter the offshore construction phase in the first quarter of 2020.