ABB to grid-connect world's largest offshore wind farm

ABB has won orders worth over $150 million from Danish energy company Ørsted (previously Dong Energy) to supply a range of technologies that will help integrate and transmit renewable wind energy from Hornsea Project Two, slated to be the world’s largest offshore wind farm. The orders were booked in the second quarter of 2018 and are the first tranche of a global five-year agreement for the supply of electrical and automation equipment for offshore and onshore wind power connection and integration to the grid.

Hornsea Two is a 1400 MW project to develop wind resources in the North Sea about 100 km off the Yorkshire coast. Upon completion, it will be able to deliver enough clean electrical power to meet the needs of more than 1.3 million homes annually. The additional power supply will support economic growth in the UK’s Humber region and help the UK meet its target of generating 15% of energy needs from renewable sources by 2020.

ABB will supply its STATCOM/SVC Light static VAR compensation technology with the ABB Ability MACH control systems, high-voltage gas-insulated switchgear (GIS), transformers, reactors and harmonic filters. ABB will also be responsible for the engineering, supply, project management and commissioning of the digital control and protection systems for the onshore substation and the two offshore platform substations.

“We are delighted to partner with Ørsted for this strategic long-term technology alliance and work towards our common goal of integrating more renewables into the grid and promoting sustainable energy solutions,” said Claudio Facchin, President of ABB’s Power Grids division. “Advanced technologies and ABB Ability-based digital solutions will play a key role in enhancing capacity and improving quality and reliability of electricity supplies to millions of people.”

The electrical power flow from Hornsea Two farm will be protected and controlled by the largest static compensation system ever built for an offshore wind application. STATCOMs help offshore wind-generating turbines to increase power transfer capability, improve power quality and enhance grid stability, delivering energy-efficient and reliable power supply.

As part of the project scope, the ABB Ability-enabled MicroSCADA system will be used for monitoring of the electricity network and gather data from Relion Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs) and RTUs to ensure safe and reliable grid integration system operations.

The Ørsted vision is a world that runs entirely on green energy. Ørsted develops, constructs and operates offshore wind farms, bioenergy plants and innovative waste-to-energy solutions and provides smart energy products to its customers. The company had a revenue of €8 billion in 2017 and employs 5600 people, including over 900 in the UK.