Purpose
The purpose of this project was to install the cables required to allow Neart Na Gaoithe – Gaelic for ‘Wind Power’ - to generate 450MW of renewable energy, which is enough to support 375,000 Scottish homes.
What we did
We installed two 220kV onshore export circuits and one 400kV onshore export cable circuit, of approximately 0.25km in length at the Neart Na Gaoithe Offshore Wind Farm, in the Firth of Forth in Scotland.
220kV Onshore Export Circuit: When installing the 220kV onshore export circuit from the Transition Joint Bay to the proposed Neart Na Gaoithe substation, trench excavation and joint bay excavation works were limited to a consented 25m-wide working corridor. The channel crossed predominantly agricultural, grazing and moorland fields.
Temporary works designs were critical to enable safe access to the cable route and joint bays. With multiple waterways around the site, our temporary works team were very busy designing and sourcing temporary bridge structures, foundations and writing detailed lift plans, to ensure smooth and safe installation.
On the Crystal Rig access road section, we crossed tree lines, intersected watercourses and worked in the vicinity of the 400kV overhead line.
400kV Onshore Export Circuit: We installed the 400kV route between the onshore substation and the SPT Crystal Rig II 400kV Substation Extension in unmade agricultural land; the ground of which had been levelled previously by another contractor.
Project successes
We successfully delivered this project to the client’s specification despite many constraints including flood risk, soil handling, ground conditions, traffic management, ecology and ornithology. As a result, we have helped our client reach a landmark, helping Scotland shift from non-renewable to renewable energy sources.