Siemens Energy has completed installation of the onshore cabling for the 950MW Moray East offshore wind farm off Scotland.
The onshore cable, which starts near Banff in Aberdeenshire, takes the power generated offshore from the three 220kV subsea cables and delivers it to the new onshore substation at New Deer, where it connects into the grid.
Lead contractor Siemens Energy said the works, which started in October 2018, saw more than 300,000 metres of HV cable laid across the 34.5km route.
The wires, manufactured by TFK Cables in Poland, were loaded onto specialist cable drum trailers, and delivered by road and ferry, ready for installation.
Onshore groundworks and assessments were carried out before work to lay the cable began.
Following the assessments, Siemens subcontracted the work to a specialist contractor VolkerInfra, which has experience in horizontal directional drilling (HDD).
HDD is a minimal impact trenchless method of installing underground cables, using a surface-launched drilling rig, which reduces the impact to people, wildlife, and the environment.
It also removes the need to interface with existing utility infrastructure, such as water and gas pipelines, Siemens Energy said.
“Before excavations began and in total 300,000 cubic metres of topsoil was removed along the route and preserved, ready to be replaced upon project completion, restoring the land to its original condition,” the company added.
Siemens Energy UK&I head of transmission solutions Mark Pilling said: “The onshore cable is a vital part of the wind farm, bringing the energy generated offshore into the onshore substation and into people’s homes.
“Using horizontal directional drilling has not only limited the environmental impact of the project, but also removed a large amount of disruption to people’s lives in this rural area.
“It is likely most people will not know that 34km of cable has been laid through the landscape.
“We are delighted this part of the project is completed and we are a step closer to bringing the low cost, low carbon power to homes and businesses across Scotland.”
Siemens Energy added that work to complete the onshore substation is progressing.
All civils work on the 20.5-hectare site is nearing completion and all ducting is now installed, it said.
Three super grid transformers and shunt reactors are now commissioned, with works to install, commission and test the high voltage cables progressing at pace.
Currently around 245 people are working on site, with all work to due to be finalised onshore in the first half of 2021.