Leading renewable energy consultancy and service provider, Natural Power, has been appointed by EDF Renewables and ESB to act as the control point for the 450MW Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) offshore wind farm which is currently under construction in the Firth of Forth in Scotland.
Through its ControlCentre, Natural Power will provide NnG with out of hours system monitoring as well as HV network and control point services to support the offshore development.
Kevin Armstrong, Head of ControlCentre at Natural Power, said: “It’s fantastic to be able to support this significant project in Scottish waters.. Our ControlCentre team will be leveraging our well-established links to the National Grid to ensure the smooth and safe delivery of this fantastic project.”
Once live, NnG will be largest site managed through Natural Power’s ControlCentre. At 450MW, the wind farm will produce enough power to supply around 375,000 Scottish homes – and will offset more than 400,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year*.
NnG is located 15.5 km off the Fife coast and covers an area of approximately 105 km². EDF Renewables acquired the project in May 2018 as part of a competitive bidding process. ESB purchased a 50% stake in the project in November 2019. Construction of NnG started onshore in November 2019 while work offshore got underway in August 2020. It is expected that the site will be fully energised and providing power by 2024.
Stewart Ogg, Electrical Systems Manager at NnG Offshore Wind, said: “We are delighted that Natural Power will soon be providing vital control point services for the NnG offshore wind farm. The ControlCentre team will play a crucial role in liaising with the National Grid as well as remotely monitoring the site, and we look forward to working closely with them to ensure NnG delivers 450MW of clean energy to consumers.”
Natural Power’s ControlCentre provides services to 125 wind, solar, storage, and HV infrastructure projects, remotely managing assets for clients 24/7, 365 days a year to make sure they stay operational and safe. Furthermore, Natural Power’s asset management team provides HV management services to 66 onshore and offshore wind and battery energy storage projects in the UK at connection voltages ranging from 11kV to 400kV.
*Based upon the average domestic electricity consumption per home of 3,889 kWh per the energy consumption in the UK (published July 2017) and Renewable-UK offshore wind average load factor at 37.2%
