VolkerInfra awarded Burbo Bank onshore cable installation project
DONG Energy has appointed VolkerInfra to install the onshore underground cables and associated fibre optic cables for Burbo Bank Extension offshore wind farm in Liverpool Bay.
A 220kV export cable will connect Burbo Bank Extension’s offshore substation with DONG Energy’s onshore substation. From this landing point, located between Rhyl and Prestatyn in Denbighshire (Wales), VolkerInfra will be installing the underground onshore cable circuit.
The underground onshore cables will run for approximately 10km to a new onshore substation and will then be linked to the National Grid Bodelwyddan 400kV onshore substation, located south of the St Asaph Business Park, between St Asaph and Bodelwyddan in Denbighshire.
VolkerInfra will be using a combination of open cut trenching and Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) methods to install the cables. To minimise disruption to the local community and the general public the developer and contractor have committed to utilise the HDD method of installation on nearly all of the road crossings on the cable route corridor. The onshore cable circuit will comprise of three single core 220kV, 1000mm2 cables including fibre optic cables inserted into pre-installed power pipe. The 400kV circuit from the onshore substation to National Grid’s Bodelwyddan substation will comprise of three single 400kV, 630mm2 Al - 1000 mm2 XLPE cables including fibre optic.
Klaus Skoust Moller, senior director for Burbo Bank Extension at DONG Energy, said:"Burbo Bank Extension is an exciting project which will provide power to around 180,000 UK households, and we are delighted to appoint VolkerInfra to install the onshore underground cables for this wind farm. VolkerInfra has specialist expertise in this area, and is based near to the project in Preston. DONG Energy is committed to investing in the UK and building a strong UK supply chain, and it's great to have VolkerInfra working with us on Burbo Bank Extension."
Jonathon Humphries, managing director of VolkerInfra, said: “We are delighted to be awarded this project and look forward to showcasing our onshore cable installation capabilities and to continuing our long standing working relationship with DONG Energy.”
The current Burbo Bank wind farm is located on the Burbo Flats in Liverpool Bay at the entrance to the River Mersey, approximately 6.4km from the Sefton coastline and 7.2km from North Wirral. The wind farm comprises of 25 efficient wind turbines to generate up to 90MW (megawatts) of clean, environmentally sustainable electricity for approximately 80,000 homes. The new Burbo Bank Extension wind farm, which will be constructed just west of the existing wind farm, will cover an area of 40km2 with an increased capacity of 258MW to provide electricity to an additional 180,000 homes.
Enabling works, for construction, commenced in January 2015 with the energisation of the offshore substation set to commence in 2016.
