Bicker Fen 33kV Wind Farm
CASE STUDY: Renewable Energy Solutions
Delivery of the ‘on site’ 33kV network to 13 x RE Power 2MW wind turbines (26MWe Total Output)
| Client(s) | R.G. Carter Engineering |
|---|---|
| Location | Near Sleaford, Lincolnshire |
| Project Start Date | October 2007 |
| Project Completion Date | August 2008 |
Freedom was responsible for the design and delivery of the ‘on site’ 33kV network to 13 x RE Power 2MW wind turbines (26MWe Total Output). This included the design and construction of the wind farm brick built substation building.
Once again, this was a Freedom ‘Team Effort’ with all parts of the Group bringing their skills to the table as required. All co-ordinated by the Delivery Team. Hutchison Team Telecom was also used for the SCADA fibre optic works which is an ongoing partnership within the EnServe Group Ltd Group. This cross business working is now a tried and tested formula with many successes under its belt.
Once again, this was a Freedom ‘Team Effort’ with all parts of the Group bringing their skills to the table as required.
Some 8km of 33kV cabling were installed around the site to ‘collect’ the output from each turbine back to a central substation. At this point the green generated power is fed into the ‘National Grid’ at 33kV via Central Networks assets. Due to favourable ground conditions a cabling ‘plough’ was used to install the 33kV cable; Fibre Optic cable & Copper earth wire simultaneously. This proved to be very successful and would be considered for future schemes with the right ground conditions.
The 33kV substation consisted of four rooms to house the 33kV switchgear (DNO & Customer); Protection Panels; Auxiliary transformer and associated metering equipment.
All of the above was installed in a timely manner to comply with the customer’s programme of works and allow the generators to ‘export’ at the earliest opportunity. This being key to all parties when successfully delivering a wind farm installation.
