Siemens Energy to deliver transformers to Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm
Siemens Energy has been selected by MHI Vestas Offshore Wind to deliver 114 low-loss 66 kV distribution transformers for the Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm.
Image source: MHI Ventas Offshore Wind
Germany, Munich: Siemens Energy has been selected by MHI Vestas Offshore Wind (MHI Vestas) to deliver 114 low-loss 66 kV distribution transformers for the Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm in Scotland.
With an installed capacity of 1,075 MW, the wind farm will be Scotland’s single largest source of renewable energy and is forecast to provide low carbon energy for around 1.3 million homes.
The solution has been specifically designed to pass through the opening in the tower base without disassembly. Earlier Siemens Energy’s compact transformers also helped to enable the Deutsche Bucht offshore wind farm in the German North Sea, together with MHI Vestas Offshore Wind.
The fluid immersed distribution transformers will complement 114 MHI Vestas’ 10 MW turbines that the company will deliver to the wind farm located 27 km from the Angus coastline in Scotland. The transformer voltage class of up to 72.5 kV will enable larger power capacities while keeping energy losses low. After commissioning, the distribution transformers will transform the voltage from the low voltage of produced electricity to the medium voltage level of 66 kV needed to feed the offshore transmission substation before going to mainland with an even higher voltage. It is anticipated that the Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm will be operational by 2022/2023.
“Siemens Energy worked closely together with us to develop a customised design transformer that perfectly fits our demands for an energy efficient solution with minimum footprint,” said Robert Slettenhaar, Vice President, Head of Procurement and Category Management at MHI Vestas Offshore Wind.
Beatrix Natter, Executive Vice President Transmission at Siemens Energy, said: “I am delighted that we have been chosen to deliver our state-of-the-art distribution transformers for the Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm – a project that is forecast to offset 1.6 Mt of carbon emissions per year and will significantly contribute to reach the UK’s net zero emissions targets.”
„We drive energy transition by innovation and customer dedication. Our team is enabling the efficient use of offshore wind energy, building on our 128 years of experience in transformers,” said Eduardo Terzi, Senior Vice President for Non-Switching Products at Siemens Energy. “Cleaner energy systems around the world is what we aim for, so implementing our lightweight and energy-efficient distribution transformers in Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm is an important milestone on this journey.”
The transformers will be filled with safe and biodegradable ester insulation fluid as an environmentally friendly and operationally safe alternative to conventional mineral oil. The transformers have been vibration tested to ensure they reliably cope with the highly demanding service conditions and strong vibration typical for wind power applications. In addition, a short circuit test was conducted to ensure the transformers can withstand potential short circuits.
Source: Siemens Energy