4C is now TGS

We are excited to announce a significant milestone in 4C Offshore's journey. Our integration into the TGS family marks the beginning of a new era in offshore wind market intelligence.

Learn what this means for you!

UK's Lincolnshire County Council opens Triton Knoll event

By: Tom Russell 07/03/2018 innogy with 4C Offshore Editorial

General Windfarms

Lincolnshire businesses have been given an insight into opportunities associated with the Triton Knoll offshore wind farm and its contractors as the result of a ‘Meet The Buyer’ event.

Organised and delivered by Lincolnshire Growth Hub, the initial event was hosted at Boston College and focused on the innogy-owned project’s almost 60kms onshore Electrical System.

The installation of the underground cable and the substation construction presents one of the most significant opportunities for local companies to get involved with the project.

Lincolnshire County Council Cllr Mark Storer opening the event, alongside Triton Knoll project director Julian Garnsey, who said over 100 new businesses have since been added to the project’s Supplier database and will now be receiving regular information and updates on opportunities emerging within the project.

Julian said: “This was an excellent first event which clearly demonstrates the willingness of both Triton Knoll and our key suppliers to put local suppliers at the forefront of opportunities with the project. It was a very well organised event by the Lincolnshire Growth Hub, and we were really encouraged by the level of interest from the local supply chain and the level of enthusiasm and interest from them to engage with the project.”

Procurement leads from Triton Knoll and its primary contractors Siemens Transmission and Distribution Limited (STDL), responsible for the onshore substation, and J Murphy & Sons Ltd, responsible for the onshore cable, conducted 1-2-1 interviews with suppliers regarding potential opportunities.

STDL’s Jane Duckworth, Senior Project Procurement Manager, said: “We’ve been contacted by lots of suppliers since the event at the college, all with positive feedback and showing a real interest in the project. It was a really worthwhile venture and I was impressed with the engagement from everyone involved on the day.”

Murphy senior subcontract buyer Lukasz Olszewski said: “It was a very encouraging event and we are now exploring a number of leads with local companies to support the onshore works at Triton Knoll. We are looking forward to engaging more with local suppliers in the future.”

Other regional supplier events are now being planned by Triton Knoll and its contractors which, together with regular planned website updates and the project’s suppliers’ E-newsletter, will aim to help local firms stay up to speed with news and opportunities across all aspects of the project, both onshore and offshore.

With an anticipated capacity of around 860MW, Triton Knoll will be located approximately 50km off the Lincolnshire coast. The project was awarded a Contract for Difference (CfD) with a strike price of £74.75/MWh (approx.€83.45/MWh) for 15 years.

The project is now progressing towards a financial investment decision in 2018 with full onshore construction starting shortly after. Offshore construction is scheduled to start in 2020. First energy generation could be as early as mid-Q1 2021, with the project expecting to be commissioned in 2021.

According to project developer innogy, the wind farm has the potential to power up to 800,000 UK homes once fully operational. According to the company back in December Triton Knoll has all of its Preferred Suppliers on board and collaborating towards the delivery of the project’s business plan.

Early County Council Opposition (4C Editorial)

Back in 2015 Lincolnshire County Council opposed the development of Triton Knoll transmission, which was critical in order to connect to the wind farm to the National Grid, yet seemed to be persuaded if the developers met their demand for compensation that would total a staggering £15m.

In a letter sent to the UK's Planning Inspectorate, LCC's Councillor Colin Davie pointed out that regarding the Lump Sum 'The proposed figure of "up to" £500,000 is considered wholly inadequate in relation to the overall value of the project which is estimated at £3-4bn. LCC believes a minimum sum of £5 million is justified and affordable.' LCC went on to further demand an annual fee increase.

Revenue: Similarly, the proposed annual figure of "up to" £40,000 for the operational life of the project is also considered inadequate and should be increased to a minimum of £500,000 per annum.

He justified this demand by stating "These revised figures reflect the environmental impact and disruption to the daily lives and business of local residents. In simple terms, coastal Lincolnshire will bear all the environmental cost of the development without reaping any economic benefit.

These demands which exceed £15,000,000 (lump sum plus revenue) were described by Councillor Colin Davie as minute. "Such minute sums as proposed by RWE will do nothing to advance enhancement of the Coastal Country Park or provide a significant number of apprenticeships, which are the preferred spending priorities of LCC.

"LCC maintains its objection to landfall at Anderby Creek but seeks mitigation of £2.3m for habitat creation and improvements, separately and in addition to the CIF, should the scheme go ahead.

It appears that the Lincolnshire County Council have found a way at last of overcoming their "concerns for the environment" and can see the benefit that such schemes do bring to the community, and country as a whole.

For more information, please follow the links provided. You can also view the project, and others worldwide, using this interactive map.

Premium

4C Offshore Premium, our most popular subscription, gives you full access to use the 4C Offshore WebApp which includes exclusive offshore wind, transmission and vessel reports, news and downloads.

Request a 30 minute Demo

UK's Lincolnshire County Council opens Triton Knoll event

Back to News

Trending News!