Germany/United Kingdom – With the first electricity generation from Triton Knoll, RWE has reached another important milestone in the realization of its offshore wind project in the British North Sea.
The generation milestone follows the efficient implementation of critical onshore and offshore electrical networks on budget and in view of the difficulties of development during the Coronavirus pandemic. The RWE-led Triton Knoll project began to successfully install its 90 offshore wind turbines in January and has since completed the necessary commissioning activities on the transmission system of the project to allow for the first export of power to the UK National Grid.
Lincolnshire coast
The Triton Knoll offshore wind farm is situated more than 32 kilometers off the coast of Lincolnshire. It is jointly owned by RWE (59%), J-Power (25%) and Kansai Electric Power (16%), with RWE leading both wind farm development and long-term management and maintenance on behalf of the project partners. Complete expected spending amounts to about £2 billion.
The first generation is accompanied by a period of intensive testing and commissioning, as the project proceeds to install the remaining 90 Vestas V164-9.5 MW turbines. All turbines are being run at the Able Seaton Port in Teesside, where for the first time in its history, RWE, via Triton Knoll, has invested in developing new turbine handling facilities at the port. Further investments in the area will also entail the construction of a new multi-million-pound Grimsby operations center, which will create up to 70 new, professional jobs locally.
RWE’s largest offshore wind farm
With full turbine commissioning due in 2021 and final project completion planned at the beginning of 2022, the Triton Knoll wind farm will have an installed capacity of 857 megawatts (RWE’s pro rata share: 506 MW), capable of delivering renewable energy equal to the annual demand of over 800,000 UK households. At the time of full operation, Triton Knoll will become the largest offshore wind farm owned by RWE, helping to sustain RWE’s role as an offshore energy leader and making a significant contribution to the decarbonisation of the UK’s energy network.