ABB powers offshore

ABB will deploy 40 special transformers to equip wind turbines for an offshore wind farm in the Irish Sea. The MHI Vestas Offshore Wind turbines are 195 m tall — around two-thirds the height of the Eiffel Tower — and weigh 1000 tonnes, approximately double a fully loaded Airbus A380 plane. The 80 m rotor blades sweep through an area equivalent of three soccer fields and can produce up to 8 MW of power, making it the most powerful wind turbine in the world.

ABB received the order for the Walney Extension Offshore Wind Farm, located around 19 km west of Walney Island off the coast of Cumbria, England. The offshore wind farm is owned by the Danish utility DONG Energy A/S. The order follows up on one from the end of 2014 for 32 specialty transformers to equip similar turbines for the Burbo Bank Extension Offshore Wind Farm, also located in the Irish Sea.

The Walney Extension will provide additional generation potential of 660 MW, in addition to the existing offshore wind farm’s 367 MW. The western part of this extension, for which ABB will supply the transformers, will account for half of the new capacity, ie, 330 MW. The company has also been contracted to supply a high-voltage cable system that will bring power from the Walney Extension wind park to the mainland.

When completed, the farms together will be capable of providing clean electricity to over 800,000 households, making a significant contribution to the UK’s target of achieving 15% of its total energy production from renewable sources by 2020 and reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

The 9.7 MVA, 34 kV transformer will be installed inside the turbine tower with accompanying low-voltage products. It is vibration- and short circuit-resistant and has a compact footprint in order to accommodate the turbine door frame. It also weighs around 30% less than a similar standard transformer.