Work to install the onshore cable which will connect the 950 MW Moray East offshore wind farm to the Scottish grid has ended, Siemens Energy said.
The onshore cable, which starts near Banff, Aberdeenshire, takes the power generated offshore from the three 220kV subsea cables, and transmits it to the new onshore substation at New Deer, where it connects into the grid.
The works, which started in October 2018, saw more than 300,000 meters of high voltage cable laid across the 34.5-kilometre route.
The cables, manufactured by TFKable in Poland, are loaded onto specialist cable drum trailers, and delivered by road and ferry, ready for installation.
Siemens Energy subcontracted the cable installation work to VolkerInfra.
“The onshore cable is a vital part of the windfarm, bringing the energy generated offshore into the onshore substation and into people’s homes,” Mark Pilling , Head of Transmission Solutions, Siemens Energy UK&I, said.
“Using horizontal directional drilling has not only limited the environmental impact of the project, but also removed a large amount of disruption to people’s lives in this rural area. It is likely most people will not know that 34km of cable has been laid through the landscape. We are delighted this part of the project is completed and we are a step closer to bringing the low cost, low carbon power to homes and businesses across Scotland.”
Work to complete the onshore substation is progressing, Siemens Energy said. All civils work on the 20.5-hectare site is nearing completion and all ducting is now installed.
Three super grid transformers and shunt reactors are now commissioned, with works to install, commission, and test the high voltage cables progressing at pace.
Currently around 245 people are working on site, with all work to due to be finalised onshore in the first half of 2021.
Located 22 kilometres off the Aberdeenshire coast, Moray East will comprise 100 MHI Vestas 9.5 MW wind turbines slated for commissioning in 2022.