UNEXPLODED ORDNANCE - Wind Energy Network

SPONSORS OF EAST OF SCOTLAND
Neart na Gaoithe
Offshore Wind Farm
Shepherd and Wedderburn is acting
for its client Mainstream Renewable
Power on the Neart na Gaoithe (Gaelic
for ‘Strength of the Wind’) wind farm
development, proposed for Scotland’s
outer Firth of Forth, more than 15km
off the coast of Fife.
Subject to planning consent, Neart na
Gaoithe will produce up to 450MW of
renewable power – enough electricity to
power 325,000 homes – from a 105 km2
site with up to 125 turbines sited in water
depths of 45 – 55 metres.
Gordon Downie
Capital investment
The development is
targeting a carbon
payback period of two
to three years and
represents a capital
investment of up to
£1.4bn, making it one of
the largest projects of its
kind in Scotland. It will
have installed capacity
to produce up to 3.7 per
cent of Scotland’s current
electricity demand,
making a significant contribution to the
Scottish Government’s 2020 target
to produce all of Scotland’s electricity
demand from renewable sources.
Advice and guidance
Shepherd and Wedderburn is working
closely with Mainstream on a number
of core aspects of Neart na Gaoithe,
including the overall consenting of the
development. The firm is also advising on
the contracts, grid connection and land
arrangements needed for the project.
Shepherd and Wedderburn will also
guide Mainstream through the planning
requirements for the onshore element
of the development. An application will
be submitted to East Lothian Council
later this year for a fully underground, 12
km power cable, which will run from its
onshore location at Thorntonloch Beach
through to Crystal Rig II wind farm, where
it will connect to the National Grid.
Shepherd and Wedderburn
www.shepwedd.co.uk
REpower
Systems SE
a case study
REpower Systems SE is one of the
leading international manufacturers of
onshore and offshore wind turbines with
their head office based in Edinburgh
and service centres across the country.
They are one of the UK’s fastest growing
wind turbine manufacturers with over 150
employees and more than 1GW worth of
total signed contracts in the UK and has
to date delivered 43 onshore wind farms
in Scotland, England and Wales and two
offshore wind farms...
• Project Beatrice in the North Sea
• 150 MW Ormonde wind farm in the
Irish Sea
Beatrice
The Beatrice Project was unique in the
world as the first offshore wind project
installed in water depths of around 45m.
A floating heavy lift crane barge was used
to install the fully pre-assembled wind
turbines. The two REpower wind turbines
are an extension of the existing offshore
oil installation in the Beatrice Field. They
are connected to the 33kV grid from the
shore and provide a significant share of the
electricity needed on the Beatrice oil rigs for
oil exploitation.
The mission of this demonstrator project
was to prove the feasibility and viability
of deepwater offshore wind farms.
The Beatrice Demonstrator is part of
DOWNVInD (Distant Offshore Wind farms
with No Visual Impact in Deepwater).
Onshore
Onshore, the company has expertise
installing turbines in remote and complex
areas as developers look further afield for
sites. This ranges from logistics solutions,
to additional grid capability.
Burnfoot Hill
The Burnfoot Hill project for EDF was one
example of complex logistical planning.
The site, some 11km from the main road,
presented several challenges; not least
the transport of all the components up
long steep inclines (15%) to the top of
a hill 600m above sea level. All thirteen
turbines were installed only 28 days after
first mobilising to site. This was especially
successful given the extremely adverse
weather conditions faced by the team.
Despite this, the commissioning was
finished ahead of schedule and the project
was handed over to the client on time and
on budget.
Future development
Future development will also be focused
on high wind speed sites in order to offer
the consumer best value from wind and, in
line with this, REpower recently announced
the expansion of their 3 megawatt turbine
series which will see a re-certification of the
3.4M104 machine for higher wind speeds.
REpower
www.repower-uk.co.uk
www.windenergynetwork.co.uk
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