Flotation Energy and Vårgrønn, developers of the Green Volt floating wind farm off the northeast coast of Scotland, have awarded front-end engineering and design (FEED) contracts to two partnerships.
The FEED contracts were awarded to the tandems of Aker Solutions and ABB as well as Aibel and Hitachi Energy.
The scopes include engineering, procurement, and construction of an offshore substation encompassing the jacket and topsides and the design of high-voltage equipment, such as power to oil and gas assets and power to the onshore substation.
Many of the scopes will be managed out of the contractors’ UK offices, including Aberdeen and London. Successful concepts will then be carried forward into the next phase of the FEED.
ABB and Aker Solutions will work on the complete electrical study for the facility, including system design, and high-voltage equipment.
As for ABB, it will lead the electrical infrastructure development, including integrated automation and telecommunications systems for the offshore platform and onshore substation. The company will also manage the integration of renewable energy into the grid, deploying power and energy management systems to optimise operations.
The 560MW Green Volt wind farm, which will be located 80 miles off the Scottish coast, was successful in winning a UK Government Contract for Difference in September this year and is the first major commercial floating wind development in Europe. The CfD puts it on track to become the world’s largest floating offshore wind farm with a government contract.
When fully operational in 2029, the planned 35 floating wind turbines are expected to supply 1.5TWh of renewable power to the grid annually, enough to supply approximately 555,000 homes a year.
