Seabed grid will link North Sea Wind Turbines

A vast power grid on the seabed of the central North Sea is being planned as part of a £20bn project to power oil and gas platforms with green electricity.

Cerulean Winds has won the right to develop projects that reduce the gas consumption by offshore installations.

The goal is to connect more than 400 turbines offshore with high-voltage cables.

The company claims that the plan will create 10,000 jobs in Scotland, including many in the supply chain.

The goal is to have all the infrastructure ready by 2028.

Dan Jackson said the chief executive for the developer was Scotland is among the most investment-friendly countries in the entire world when it comes to floating wind farms.

His company formed a partnership with partners that have extensive experience in the industry, including NOV Gamesa, Siemens Energy DEME and Worley.

The next ten year will see hundreds of wind turbines installed in 20 areas. ScotWind round of developmentsSome of the cables are fixed to the seabed, while others are anchored with screws.

ScotWind is connected to the National Grid onshore. Energy firms have paid £755m to Crown Estates Scotland, which duly passes the funds to the Scottish government, for the rights to develop.

The Cerulean Winds Project for an offshore subsea Grid is part of a second round called Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas. This round covers an element of technology innovation but mainly provides renewable energy to oil and gas installation to reduce the use of gas in their operations.

Subsea grids are intended to replace the direct cable between platforms and turbines, and provide flexibility and reliability in power supply.

Mr Jackson said that it was important to develop wind energy as fast as possible for the oil & gas sector. Once it is established, the power will be supplied via long-distance, high voltage, direct current, subsea cable systems for supply on land in Britain as well as for export.

Three large areas of the central North Sea, covering 400 square miles (1 000 square km), will be connected.

He added that “early electrification of oil and natural gas supports the country’s energy security and net-zero actions, as well as delivering huge benefits to supply chain and the economy by creating 10,000 new jobs.”

With our partners, we will accelerate the access to green energy and provide infrastructure for the North Sea in its next phase.

‘Build with urgency

He told BBC Scotland, “We are comfortably above 300 or 400 wind turbines.” This is built in phases. The first phase will be for oil and gas needs.

We need to develop these quickly to provide oil and gas with green energy, flexibility and reliability.

He said that the sites will be “stepping-stones” for larger floating wind farms.

Mr Jackson continued: “We have waited for the renewables industry to grow in Scotland and, particularly, those ports, yards and docks that have been affected by the decline of the oil-and-gas industry. It is happening now.

“Scotland has a strong supply chain.” “Scotland’s supply chain base is already there.”

The offshore wind industry has enormous potential now that floating turbines have proved their ability to perform when they are annexed in deep waters.

Nearly a third (33%) of all floating wind turbines currently in production are destined for Scottish water.

Scottish industry can take advantage of the unique requirements for floating wind turbines.

This new plan could be a major step in coordinating this effort.

For this to become reality, it is necessary to link capacity with orders. Some investment will be required before the capacity can even be built. Some people are concerned that Scotland will not be able to cope with the industrial manufacturing scale that is expected.

These concerns include rising prices when the supply chain cannot meet demand. Steel and wages are also a financial challenge. The UK government is focused on continuing to reduce the cost of offshore wind for onshore customers.

The government and its agencies must work together with the port industry, the public and the private sector to bring about a large-scale development of the ports.