Statkraft has awarded a contract to Powersystems UK to undertake electrical and civil engineering works for a £20m grid project in Moray, Scotland to support further renewables integration.
The project, located near the Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks transmission substation at Keith, will include two large rotating stabilisers designed to provide stable flows of energy through the grid network.
The upgrade will help to increase the amount of renewable energy transmitted on the system and prevent power blackouts.
Powersystems and civils subcontractor Knights Brown will begin construction in the coming months and the upgrade is due to become operational in autumn 2021.
AECOM has been appointed owner’s engineer.
The rotating stabilisers are being manufactured in Rugby, England, by GE Power Conversion, with steel casting and forging specialist Sheffield Forgemasters manufacturing the key component of the main rotator shaft and hub.
Statkraft was awarded the stability contract as part of National Grid’s Stability Pathfinder Project to meet its target of achieving an electricity system can be operated at zero carbon by 2025.
The contract with National Grid provides grid stability services when there are no fossil fuel generators on the system to provide this.
There will be an increased demand for this service as the amount of renewable energy generated increases.
Statkraft has also been awarded a similar project in Liverpool and will manage the construction and operation of the project.
Statkraft UK managing director David Flood said: “We are at the forefront of an emerging area for global energy systems.
“The UK are world-leaders in their approach to grid stability and we can showcase this expertise to other countries looking to do the same as their renewables capacity increases.”
Statkraft UK grid integration head Guy Nicholson said: “Our grid network needs to keep up with the rapid progress renewables has made in the UK.
Sometimes National Grid, as the electricity system operator, has been forced to shut down wind farms and run gas power stations to keep the system stable.
“More projects like Keith Greener Grid Park will mean that will become a thing of the past.”