KCI The Engineers has completed the basic design of an offshore switchyard for Belgian transmission system operator Elia to combine and bring onshore electricity from several wind farms off Belgium’s coast.
The Dutch engineering company said it was awarded the concept verification and basic design contract following an international competition.
KCI said that currently North Sea wind farms are connected individually to onshore grids, but this will change under Elia’s plan for a modular grid to connect projects and bring power to shore through an offshore switchyard.
The outside of the switchyard will look like a substation, but inside there will be no transformer because the voltage of the offshore wind turbines has already been changed in the substations from medium to high, KCI said.
The platform will house 220kV gas insulated switchgear and multiple submarine cable connections, it added.
“Creating a modular grid is ideal from a technical, economic, but also environmental viewpoint as it will facilitate shared use of the grid by many wind farms,” KCI said.
Elia decided to try a new approach because of the limited number of kilometres on the Belgian coastline to bring individual cables ashore, the Dutch company said.
The are currently four offshore wind farms in Belgian waters with plans to increase the number to nine, KCI said.
Image: Elia
Dutch design Belgian offshore link
Switchyard to connect and bring onshore power from several wind farms
By EBS