EDS HV Group has completed a viable outline design for the entire electrical system at Simply Blue Energy and Total’s 96MW Erebus floating offshore wind farm, which will be located in the Celtic Sea off Wales.
The company’s group engineering director Luke Bishop carried out the preliminary front end engineering and design (pre-FEED) work, which covered wind turbine connection through to the grid connection point.
It included grid connection application, power system studies, cable rating studies and onshore route design, and resulted in the project grid connection agreement being secured within six months.
Bishop said: “I designed a viable preliminary substation, the electrical layout of the offshore wind farm, all the electrical elements that go between those and also the connection to the National Grid.
“Taking the Erebus project electrical design from a blank piece of paper to securing the project grid connection agreement in such a condensed amount of time was one that I really enjoyed – we had to work together very efficiently to do it in such a timely manner – and I think it’s fair to say we did.”
EDS HV Group managing director Ryan Henderson said: “Luke has a very unique and varied career background, with experience at every stage of the process, from FEED to design to the front line on the National Grid.
“This means he is able to competently make sure projects meet the expectations of all parties involved at every stage, making the project as efficient as possible both in terms of price and time. He definitely did this with Erebus.”
Erebus is to be built in water depths of 70 metres and will make use of floating foundations from Principle Power (pictured).