Function
The installation of the offshore substation consists of the transfer of the substation from its quayside fabrication site and the installation on the foundation.
What it costs*
About £52 million for a 1 GW floating offshore wind farm.
Who supplies them
Boskalis, DEME, Heerema, Saipem, Scaldis Salvage & Marine, Seaway 7, Van Oord and ZPMC.
Offshore substation installation often forms part of the substation supply contract.
Topside structure of an offshore substation being lifted onto a jacket foundation. Image courtesy of ScottishPower Renewables. All rights reserved.
Key facts
Fixed and floating offshore substation installation are heavy lift operations (minimum of 2,000 t) requiring vessels with sufficient crane capacity. Vessels with the necessary lift capacity often do not have the deck space to accommodate a substation platform.
In fixed substations, the substation is floated out of the fabrication facility on a barge, usually directly to the wind farm site and assembled on the foundation. The substation foundation, which is installed prior to the topside structure, may be a monopile or a jacket.
For floating substations, the installation process will be influenced by the floating foundation design. Like floating wind turbines, substations can either be assembled onto the floating substructure at the construction port and towed to the site or transported separately and coupled onto the floating foundation at the offshore installation site.