INDUSTRY FOCUS CABLES & CONNECTORS CABLING FOR DUO OF WIND FARMS
a straightforward one. Navigating hilly terrain and complicated access, the carefully devised course mainly crossed arable farmland and moorland, but also traversed two major rivers – River Isla and River Ericht – a National Grid High Pressure gas mainline and nine roads. This meant that in addition to the usual preparatory proving and engineering work, specialist equipment was also required to deliver the connection with minimal disruption. Horizontal directional drilling and cable pulling techniques were therefore used alongside trenching to install the required cabling. On the private side of the assignment, a further 6.5km 33kV cable grid and fibre link were installed between the two wind farms – making this the longest cabling connection for the Smith Brothers team to date. But the landscape wasn’t the
Large-scale cabling assignments are complex at the best of times,
but when it comes to rurally located wind farms, there can be literal mountains to climb. So, when two sites in Perth and Kinross, Scotland were ready to be connected to the grid, high Smith Brothers rose to the challenge
T
ricky terrain and tight timescales are just two
common obstacles that often arise in cabling assignments within the renewables sector. The very nature of wind and solar power harnessing means that farms tend to be located in difficult-to-reach areas, and there are always deadlines to be met. So, when Smith Brothers was appointed as the Independent Connection Provider (ICP) for the Tullymurdoch and Welton of Creuchies wind farms in Scotland,
the power engineering experts had to overcome the combined challenges of adverse weather conditions and difficult landscapes in order to successfully complete the project. With eleven wind turbines located across the two adjacent sites, the farms were developed to deliver a combined output of 23.55MW to the SSE network – 14.35MW from the seven turbines at Tullymurdoch and 9.2MW from four at Welton of Creuchies, a joint venture between
the landowner, local community and Green Cat Renewable Developments. It was down to the 26-strong Smith Brothers team and 21km of 33kV cabling to connect the wind farms to the grid.
DIFFICULT CABLING CONDITIONS Located in the hills above Alyth in Perthshire, the route for the contestable 14.5km 33kV cable grid connection and fibre optic link from the wind farms to the Coupar Angus primary substation, was not
only challenge the engineers had to contend with. Although the project commenced in August 2017, the complex on-site construction and cabling work was carried out within a 5-month window throughout the winter months. High winds and snowy conditions presented logistical and transportation issues, but hard work, proactive project management and determination saw the team pulling together to complete the task at hand.
TURNKEY CAPABILITIES Specialising in end-to-end electrical engineering assignments, Smith Brothers is often enlisted to deliver a full connection package for large-scale projects – covering both contestable and private elements. So, alongside the extensive cable grid installation, the power engineers were also
36 APRIL 2018 | CABLES & CONNECTORS
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