| Fraisthorpe wind farm, East Rising of Yorkshire |
Project Facts and Figures
| Project Value | £4 Million |
| Project Duration | 12 Months |
| Services | Wind Farm Electrical Infrastructure, 33 kV Balance of Plant (EBoP), 66 kV Grid Connection |
| Market Sector | Renewable Energy, Wind Farm |
| Number of Turbines | 9 |
| Wind Turbine Capacity | 3.3 MW |
| Total Installed Capacity | 29.7 MW |
| Connection Voltage | 66 kV |
| Energy for | 22,500 Households |
| Length of directional drilling | 100 M |
| Length of Onsite 66 kV Cabling | 5 KM |
| Length of Onsite 33 kV Cabling | 18 KM |
Fraisthorpe 29.7 MW Wind Farm scope of work and major design considerations:
Powersystems were appointed to design, supply installation, testing and commission a 33 kV grid connection for adoption by Northern Power Grid (NPG) and substation auxiliary 11 kV supply. As well as to design, supply, install, test and commission the electrical works infrastructure for 9 No 3.3 MW Vestas V112 wind turbines.
The electrical work was undertaken in partnership with Jones Bros Civil Engineering on behalf of the client, BayWa r.e. GmbH.
Northern Powergrid set out strict connection requirements that needed to be met in order for the grid to accommodate the wind farm at 66 kV. Powersystems design engineers used innovative design methods to meet these requirements and allow the customer to start selling energy to the electricity network.
The first of these was to design infrastructure which ensured Northern Powergrid’s 66 kV network would remain stable should faults occur on the wind farm. This was important in order to prevent any unnecessary outages on the grid. The inclusion of a high impedance 66/33 kV transformer tackled this problem without compromising the overall performance of the customer’s network.
Fraisthorpe 29.7 MW Wind Farm development:
Fraisthorpe wind farm is a 29.7 MW capacity wind farm situated in the East Riding of Yorkshire, the site is just 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Bridlington and 40 miles (64 km) east of York, England.
The site consists of nine 3.3 MW wind turbines that produce a collective 29.7 MW of power. The wind farm provides enough electricity to power over 22,500 homes and stops over 48,000 tonnes (53,000 tons) of carbon dioxide gas from entering the environment.
The major items of electrical plant that Powersystems designed, supplied, installed, and commissioned were:
- 36 MVA 66/33 kV transformer and ancillary plant
- 66 kV circuit breaker and disconnectors
- 66 kV voltage transformers (VTs) and current transformers (CTs)
- 66 kV cable sealing ends
- 66 kV protection panels including generation constraint scheme
- 33 kV switchgear and associated protection equipment
- 33 kV 50 kVA auxiliary/earthing transformer and neutral earthing resistor (NER)
- Cable laying of 33 kV, fibre optic and earth cables
- Earthing and lightning protection systems at the substation building and nine wind turbines
- 11 kV pole-mounted transformer backup LV supply for the substation
Fraisthorpe Wind Farm project timings:
The site was initially proposed to house fifteen turbines and then reduced to nine turbines by TCI Renewables in 2012.
Initial approval for the nine 420 feet (130 m) turbines and an associated 260-foot (80 m) meteorological mast was granted in January 2013.
The site was granted full planning permission in early 2015 when the Ministry of Defence dropped their objection to the site. This was despite the apparent vocal opposition by local people and Councillors.
The wind power generation site began generating clean renewable energy in August 2016. The wind turbines were initially shipped to Immingham Dock but safety concerns regarding the transportation of such large structures to site meant that they were unable to cross the Humber Bridge. Instead, the 197-feet (60m) blades took a circuitous 100-mile journey to avoid this route and arrive safely at Fraisthrope.
The wind farm was powered up in August 2016, with BayWa r.e selling the site three-months later to Octopus Investments. BayWa r.e continues to operate and service the site as part of the deal.
How Powersystems helped:
As a Lloyds accredited contractor, Powersystems were appointed to design, supply, install, test and commission a new 66 kV substation and 5 km 66 kV cable route for adoption by Northern Powergrid.
Powersystems installed a 5 km 66 kV ducted cable route in a mix of carriageway, footpath, verge, and agricultural land. This included a horizontal directional drill (HDD) under the Yorkshire Coast Railway Line. Powersystems liaised with Network Rail to ensure the 100 m drill was compliant with their standards.
Due to the coastal location of the 66 kV substation, Powersystems undertook a flood risk assessment. As a result, the substation compound was elevated 750mm above the surrounding land to ensure that it would be unaffected in the event of a flood.
The high impedance 66/33 kV transformer gave rise to further design considerations. To overcome the reactive power losses in the transformer, Powersystmes designed and installed a 3.5 MVAr 33 kV capacitor bank to guarantee that Fraisthorpe wind farm would operate within Northern Powergrid’s power factor limits for the connection.
The results:
Environmental Benefit
- The 29.7 MW wind farm provides enough electricity to power over 22,500 homes and stops over 48,000 tonnes (53,000 tons) of carbon dioxide gas from entering the environment The wind farm is anticipated to generate electricity for 25 years and will support a community benefit fund
Economic Benefit
- The 29.7 MW wind farm is anticipated to generate electricity for 25 years and will support a community benefit fund
- Contribute to vibrant, healthy, successful and sustainable communities
- Promote community spirit and encourage community activity
- The Fraisthorpe wind farm project delivery went extremely well and provided a great boost for the local area
- The Fraisthorpe wind farm community benefit fund is being made available by Octopus Solutions, the owners of the Fraisthorpe wind farm, to support projects that improve the local quality of life and community resources for residents who live in the parish council areas of Barmston, Fraisthorpe, and Carnaby as well as part of the area served by Bridlington town council that sits south of the Spa. Grants are available of between £500 and £10,000
In Conclusion:
Fraisthope wind energy project was officially opened in August 2016.
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