Press Release
ROUND 3 GRID STUDY
The Crown Estate to Act on Recommendations of Offshore Renewables Grid Study
18 December 2008
The Crown Estate commissioned study by Senergy Econnect and National Grid has today published its findings into the potential for offshore grid connections for Round 3 windfarms.
The objective was to identify an indicative set of offshore and onshore transmission network reinforcements to connect up to 25 GW of offshore wind generation by 2020 and thus meet the government’s renewable energy target. The study aimed to identify the extent and costs of the work necessary to provide optimised transmission connections for the Round 3 zones.
Welcoming the recommendations, Rob Hastings, Director of the Marine Estate at The Crown Estate said: “We will be following up on the study findings as a matter of priority as grid connections will be the key to the success of Round 3. Ensuring that developers and the supply chain are confident that the grid issues are being addressed will attract investment and contribute to the UK’s energy security of supply, help meet the UK’s renewables targets and create jobs across the UK.”
In response to the study’s recommendations, The Crown Estate will:
- Work with relevant bodies such as Ofgem, Department of Energy and Climate Change, the Scottish government, the Welsh Assembly government and transmission companies to agree the best approach to securing grid connections for the planned offshore renewable developments;
- Work with zone partners and other offshore renewable developers to ensure co-ordinated delivery of offshore generation assets with transmission requirements.
- Identify potential options for cable corridors for new offshore transmission infrastructure, including those for any future interconnector developments and consider a programme of work to support the consent and licensing of these developments;
- Support making the right market conditions to encourage supply chain investment and new technologies for offshore renewable generation;
- Review and confirm the likely site locations for offshore renewable generation, including in its considerations windfarm developments within Scottish territorial waters and other marine renewables, particularly in the Pentland Firth strategic area.
The study was carried out by Senergy Econnect and National Grid and is based on assumptions on the distribution of offshore wind across nine potential development zones. Capacity was allocated for the purposes of the grid study only and based on the relative size of the area. It is not reflective of The Crown Estate’s view of the outcome of its tender for Round 3 offshore windfarm zones or the conclusions of the Strategic Environmental Assessment currently being undertaken by the Department for Energy and Climate Change.
In summary, the recommendations of the report are as follows:
1.That environmental and planning constraints may affect connection solutions for each zone;
2.That the extent of constraints on supply chain may impact delivery of the Round 3 connections;
3.The power transfer capacity of the HVAC and HVDC technologies should be raised to improve economies of scale;
4.A process to effectively manage the Round 3 grid connection applications should be put in place;
5.That ‘no regret’ onshore reinforcement options should can be progressed immediately to provide the necessary transmission capacity in a timely manner.
In presenting the results of this study, The Crown Estate believe this to be a first step towards realising the aim of delivering 25 GW of offshore wind energy from Round 3. It does not represent the only possible solution. It is intended to add to the work carried out by the Electricity Networks Strategy Group (ENSG) and others in identifying the onshore network requirements for 2020 and beyond. The study does not and is not intended to consider any environmental impacts or considerations as this will follow the Strategic Environmental Assessment to be published in the spring of 2009.
The Crown Estate is pleased that the outcome of this report identifies a key element to the work going forward; that co-ordination and planning will be essential to deliver an economic and effective grid solution for offshore renewable generation.
Prior Announcements
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