Onshore construction has kicked off at Innogy’s 860MW Triton Knoll offshore wind farm off the east coast of England.
Official ground-breaking took place on the route of the underground cable off the A16 road near Stickney in Lincolnshire.
J Murphy & Sons and Siemens Transmission and Distribution are contracted to build the onshore electrical connections.
The initial works includes the establishment of site offices, temporary construction compounds and bell-mouths at key points along the route.
Onshore work will take about two years to install 57km of cable from landfall north of Anderby Creek to a new substation being constructed near Bicker, and then to the existing National Grid Bicker Fen substation.
Work on the new onshore substation will start early in 2019, with Siemens constructing the new facility close to the existing substation near Bicker. It is expected to be commissioned between March and August 2020.
Murphy chief executive John Murphy said: “The cable route presents an exciting engineering challenge for us and we’ve worked diligently and intelligently to create better engineered solutions that will allow us deliver it with minimum disruption.
“I’m thrilled to be able to break ground with Triton Knoll and Siemens and kick-start these exciting works. We’re very proud to be working on the Triton Knoll project and with their team who are so firmly committed to leaving a positive legacy in Lincolnshire, an aim we share at Murphy.”
Siemens Transmission and Distribution project director Phil Manley said: “This nationally significant project will have a vital role in creating energy security for the UK. As one of the lead contractors, making sure the energy created by Triton Knoll gets to the homes and businesses which need it, we play an important role in this project.
“Our main offshore work will begin in 2019, with work already underway onshore to build a new access road to the substation construction site. We anticipate a number of supply chain contracts will be available for UK supply chain companies, with details to be announced in the coming months.”
Triton Knoll project director Julian Garnsey said: “Triton Knoll construction is officially up and running. This moment is the culmination of years of planning, engineering, consultation, and cooperation with our supply chain and stakeholders to produce a state of the art wind farm , which benefits both local and regional economies.
“Triton Knoll is committed to supporting local and regional jobs, skills development and, through our investments, the further strengthening of the UK’s already world-beating offshore industry.
“As we continue to progress through the weeks and months ahead, we and all our contractors look forward to working even more closely with our neighbouring communities, so that local people are aware of our works and how they are progressing.”
Innogy owns 59% of Triton Knoll and is managing construction on behalf of partners J-Power (25%) and Kansai Electric Power (16%).
The wind farm will feature 90 MHI Vestas V164-9.5MW turbines and is expected to be fully operational in 2022.