Smooth build for offshore wind project
A substation for Moray West an 860MW offshore wind farm in the outer Moray Firth has been fabricated and installed by AJ Engineering.
Led by project manager Kevin Smith, the works for Robertson’s Construction on behalf of Siemens Energy has progressed smoothly.
Moray West of which Ocean Winds is the majority shareholder selected Siemens Energy for the supply of the onshore substation back in 2021.
The onshore substation for the wind farm will feature Siemens High Voltage Alternating Current (HVAC) equipment.
AJ Engineering were awarded the contract for the substation building in November last year as Kevin explained: “The project agreement was finalised in November 2022 and we got on site at the end of February. There was a slight delay due to the snow, but it has gone really smoothly. It’s been very straightforward really.”
The substation is located at Whitehillock, near Keith and will step up the voltage from 220 to 400 kilovolts (kV). Its location has been selected to minimise environmental impact and allow connection to existing national electricity transmission system infrastructure at the neighbouring Blackhillock substation.
Speaking about the project, Lee Bink’s AJE’s Business Development Representative said: “AJ Engineering’s diversity means that we can fabricate and install an onshore substation building, an offshore transportation grillage or even machine tooling used in seabed surveys, we are very well positioned to support the upcoming boom in the offshore wind sector.”
