INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Cabling
Nexans completes project to
connect wind farm to Scotland’s
power grid
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T
he Scottish Government has set an
ambitious target for renewable energy
resources to meet 100% of the
country’s gross annual electricity consumption
by 2020. Large onshore wind farms will play a
key role in meeting this target, such as the 88
MW Kype Muir wind farm, where Nexans has
just completed a project to provide a 16 km
132 kV underground grid connection for SP
Energy Networks.
With a total capacity of over 10 GW,
Scotland’s renewable electricity generation
sector is now over three times bigger
than it was at the end of 2008. Onshore
wind is the biggest single renewable
technology, accounting for over 74% of
installed capacity. The Kype Muir wind farm
comprises 26 turbines and is a flagship
development for the Banks Group. It is
located around 5 km from the town of
Strathaven in South Lanarkshire.
A key element in the wind farm project is
the 16 km underground cable connection
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INTELLIGENTCIO
required to link the new 132/33 kV SP Energy
Networks substation at the Kype Muir site
with the existing Coalburn 400/132 kV grid
substation. SP Energy Networks awarded
the contract for this connection to Nexans
France based on its proven capability to
meet a challenging project timescale of just
eight months while providing project delivery
of services including design, manufacture
and delivery of the cable, civil works
(excluding duct installation), cable laying,
design and supply of the cable accessories,
jointing and commissioning.
To provide the three individual phases for the
grid connection, Nexans has supplied a total
of around 50 km of cross-linked polyethylene
(XLPE) insulated cable with an aluminium
conductor and an aluminium welded sheath,
manufactured at Nexans Benelux factory
in Charleroi, Belgium. The accessories,
manufactured at Nexans Switzerland’s
plant in Cortaillod, include six FEV outdoor
terminations and 60 cross-bonding joints
with associated link boxes.
“The Kype Muir to Coalburn 132 kV
underground cable was a challenging
project but good working relationships
between SP Energy Networks and Nexans
project teams led to a positive outcome.
Nexans’ commitment to meet a challenging
programme was recognised by all involved
in the project,” said David Raftery, Project
Unit Manager, Integrated and Circuits
Programmes, SP Energy Networks.
“The success of the Kype Muir project
further demonstrates Nexans’ expertise in
project delivery for wind farm projects with a
demanding schedule and environment.
“We are also delighted to have further
enhanced our working relationship with
SP Energy Networks from our UK office in
Edinburgh after the successful execution of a
similar wind farm project at Kilgallioch
and other recent substation projects at
Wishaw, Windyhill and Maentwrog,” said
Mike Rintoul, Head of Project Delivery
at Nexans. n
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