The power and automation technology Group, ABB has won a lucrative order worth around $55 million to supply and lay a submarine AC power cable system for the 400 MW Dudgeon wind farm off the East coast of Norfolk. The order was offered by a company owned by Statoil and Statkraft: Dudgeon Offshore Wind Limited.
Each year the Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm will be capable of producing enough electricity to power more than 400,000 UK homes. The turbines will be located in waters 18-25 meters deep on a 55-square-kilometre site situated 32 kilometres off the coast of the north Norfolk seaside town of Cromer. How green? The wind farm will produce enough green energy to displace emissions of carbon dioxide by up to 19 million tonnes over its 25-year lifetime.
Power generated by Dudgeon will be brought to shore via ABB’s seabed cable near the coastal town of Sheringham. From there, the electricity will travel via an underground cable to Necton, where a new purpose-built substation will enable it to be transmitted into the national grid. There has been some local opposition, particularly to the positioning of the substation, but in general the local population are behind the scheme.
Claudio Facchin is the Head of ABB’s Power Systems Division. He said in a statement:
“Offshore wind is a growing renewable energy resource, with Europe accounting for around 70 percent of new offshore wind generation capacity. Transporting electricity from offshore wind farms to the shore and then integrating it into the grid for supply to consumers are key elements. This is a key focus area for ABB as we strive to balance the growing need for electricity while minimizing environmental impact. Our technological strengths, vast portfolio and rich experience in this area position us well to execute this project and we are delighted to have this opportunity.”
ABB will design and supply two 132-kilovolt (kV) three-core AC submarine cables, each of 42 kilometres in length. They will be manufactured at ABB’s cable factory in Karlskrona, Sweden. The delivery of the cables is scheduled for 2016.
The Asset Manager of the Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm is Bjørn Ivar Bergemo. He said:
“The submarine export cable connection is a long-lead item and placing this contract represents a major milestone in the development of the Dudgeon project. These cables will be some of the longest offshore cables ordered so far for a UK offshore wind project, and we look forward to working with ABB.”
