 Offshore Wind Farm Garrad Hassan (GH) have been contracted by npower renewables to undertake the Front End Engineering Development (FEED) study for the 750MW Gwynt y Mor Offshore Wind Farm, off the coast of North Wales.
Once fully operational, Gwynt y Môr would generate enough power every year to supply approximately 2% of all UK households. It will also prevent the annual release of around 2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide gas - equivalent to taking approximately 590,000 cars off the road. The FEED study is a key stage in development of such a project, addressing areas of technical uncertainty in all aspects of the project, optimising the economics, planning sequencing of work and determining the best contracting strategy. GH will be responsible for all areas of the study: project management, wind turbine, layout and yield design and analysis, offshore structures, electrical system and grid connection, O&M, marine installation, cable installation, H & S and procurement support. GH will be supported in this project by BOMEL and Mott Macdonald. npower renewables Offshore Projects Manager, Mike Carter, states:“npower renewables are very pleased to be working closely with Garrad Hassan on Gwynt y Môr. This is a major study which will make a significant contribution to the development and design phase of the project. As a leading UK renewable energy company we are committed to delivering carefully planned quality projects” The award of this contract confirms and strengthens Garrad Hassan’s role as a multi-disciplinary consultancy catering for the offshore wind sector. GH has also recently completed works on a similar FEED study for another UK offshore wind farm. Colin Morgan, Offshore Projects Manager at Garrad Hassan comments on their involvement with Gwynt y Môr offshore: “It’s gratifying to see projects of the scale of Gwynt y Môr progressing in this way. Moreover, it’s a measure of the scale and increasing maturity of the offshore wind business that FEED studies are now being conducted to push towards the best quality of developments. The selection of GH for the work in face of stiff opposition we take as a sign that we have successfully expanded the skill base at GH to cover the key areas of offshore wind farm development through a concerted effort over many years.” Garrad Hassan offer independent expert advice on wind energy with teams of specialists in wind turbines, wind analysis, operations and maintenance, electrical, control and civil engineering. With offices in 15 countries, they are the leading independent authority on the sector. GH has been Banks’ / Owner’s Engineer for over 15,000MW of operating projects and has completed resource assessment of over 50,000MW. For manufacturers, GH services include design and analysis of wind turbines, components, control systems, as well as certification support and on-site measurements. GH provides a range of leading products to the Renewables sector which includes GH WindFarmer, GH Forecaster, GH Bladed and GH SCADA. |
