Vargronn and Flotation Energy have awarded two sets of front-end engineering and design (FEED) contracts for their Green Volt floating offshore wind farm.
One of the contracts was provided to Aker Solutions and ABB and the other went to Aibel and Hitachi Energy.
Aker will lead the topside and jacket FEED design from its London office, with ABB providing support for the HV voltage system, telecommunication, substation automation and hardware delivery, with support from ABB.
ABB will also manage the integration of renewable energy into the grid, deploying advanced power and energy management systems to optimise operations.
ABB told Energy Voice that the its work will mostly be delivered by PAEN UK (England and Scotland) and Norway teams, with different teams responsible for various scopes of the FEED contract.
Hitachi Energy will support the project in the conceptual design of the high voltage system, which will connect electricity generated from the wind farm to the grid as well as enabling a stable supply of electrical power to existing oil and gas assets.
Concepts include the management of a bi-directional power flow, to and from shore, in addition to design of high voltage system components.
Aibel will help the partners optimise the project and make it ready for the next phase.
The decision to award contracts to multiple partnerships was based on the specific skills of each supplier, as well as Green Volt’s ambition to collaborate with, and develop, the UK’s floating wind supply chain.
UK prime minister Keir Starmer hailed the wind farm’s progress, saying: “The Green Volt wind farm is a prime example of how the UK and Norway can work together to move away from fossil fuels and deliver clean, secure energy for millions of households up and down the country.
“I welcome this announcement as we deliver our Plan For Change to secure home-grown energy, protect billpayers, and put us on track to make Britian a clean energy superpower by 2030.”
Based 80 miles off the northeast coast of Scotland, the 560MW Green Volt floating offshore wind farm received a contract for difference from the UK government in September this year.
This put Green Volt on track to be Europe’s first major commercial floating wind development.
Vargronn chief executive Stephen Bull had previously said part of the company’s supply chain plan is to standardise design elements for floating wind projects.
The project is set to unlock around £2.5 billion of private investment and is expected to enter operations in 2029.
Green Volt was approved in April this year, the first consent from the Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) leasing round.
Once operational, Green Volt will not only supply clean power to the grid but also help the oil and gas industry to meet its goal of halving emissions in 2030 by electrifying offshore assets.
Green Volt project director at Flotation Energy Matthew Green said: “Green Volt is a truly trailblazing project that will boost the floating offshore wind supply chain, stimulating investment and help accelerate the development of more windfarms.
“The award of these FEED contracts is a significant milestone for Green Volt.”
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