Offshore wind turbine maker MHI Vestas Offshore Wind has awarded a contract to Siemens Energy for the delivery of 114 low-loss 66kV distribution transformers for the giant 1,075 megawatts (MW) Seagreen offshore wind farm in Scotland.
The fluid immersed distribution transformers will complement 114 MHI Vestas’ 10MW turbines that the company will deliver to the wind farm located 27 km from the Angus coastline in Scotland.
The low-loss distribution transformers were designed to meet high-efficiency requirements, Siemens Energy said.
The transformer voltage class of up to 72.5 kilovolts (kV) will enable larger power capacities, such as provided by MHI Vestas’ 10MW offshore wind turbines, while keeping energy losses low.
After commissioning, the distribution transformers will transform the voltage from the low voltage of produced electricity to the medium voltage level of 66kV needed to feed the offshore transmission substation before going to the mainland with an even higher voltage.
The Seagreen offshore wind farm is expected to become be operational by 2022/2023.
According to Siemens, the solution has been specifically designed for MHI Vestas’ needs for a lightweight and compact solution that passes through the opening in the tower base without disassembly.
The transformers will be filled with safe and biodegradable insulation fluid as an environmentally friendly and operationally safe alternative to conventional mineral oil, Siemens Energy said.
Further, the transformers have been vibration tested to ensure they reliably cope with the highly demanding service conditions and strong vibration typical for wind power applications.