Fred. Olsen Seawind and Vattenfall JV complete grid connection route scenarios study and confidently select preferred connection for Muir Mhòr project, with Optioneer™
options analysed
options analysed
to arrive at preferred grid connection option
Introduction
Muir Mhòr is a floating offshore wind farm project located off the east coast of Scotland.
A joint venture between Fred. Olsen Seawind and Vattenfall, the project is scheduled to generate in 2030, putting the UK on track to meet its target of 5GW of floating wind by 2030.
Optioneer provided the Muir Mhòr team with the opportunity to rapidly assess a long list of export cable route options connecting 17 landfalls, 5+ onshore substation locations and multiple wind farm exit points. This enabled the project team to rank grid connection points and confidently select their preferred option.
The challenges of assessing grid connection options, before using Optioneer
ScotWind was the first round of offshore wind leasing in Scottish waters for over a decade. The round resulted in 20 projects securing seabed option agreements, including Muir Mhòr.
A first of its kind, Scotwind was also split into two tranches when it came to grid connections: Holistic Network Design (HND) and Holistic Network Design Follow-Up Exercise (HNDFUE). The HND was defined by National Grid ESO, outlining the ways in which the system operator plans on providing the required transmission infrastructure for connecting all planned offshore wind. In principle, coordinating offshore connections in HND was a logical approach, but in practice, this introduced a lot of uncertainty regarding the connection process for developers.
The Muir Mhòr team wanted to be proactive in gaining a sufficient understanding of the project space – which extended from Moray to the East Midlands – without expending multi-£Million on survey vessels until greater project certainty was achieved, and to be well prepared for what the HND process might out-turn. The prospective HND process offered an immediate opportunity to test Optioneer in earnest.
With HND in the equation, the traditional methods of route optioneering would not have allowed for all possible grid connection options to be evaluated in a sufficient level of detail and within the time available. The Muir Mhòr team needed to try another approach to get results confidently whilst managing the tight deadlines set by HND.
The team recognised that Optioneer could allow them to do this strategic exercise at a record speed with limited resources. They were also attracted by the fact that the AI-powered solution would allow them to keep a record of every routing decision made, helping to make a strong case for planning and evidencing that every alternative had been considered.
Optioneer was used to assess a long list of export cable routes connecting 17 potential landfalls, 5+ onshore substation locations and multiple wind farm exit points
The tool captured knowledge from industry experts and integrated it into a robust model for assessing all feasible connection options. The model included environmental, social, engineering and cost considerations in line with policy and objectives of the Holistic Network Design exercise.
Coupled with reviews by subject matter experts from each discipline, this approach offered quantitative certainty over the route options’ viability by comparing all connection scenarios and, within those, comparing the preferable route options against environmental, technical and social criteria.
Optioneer also provided a visual and interactive environment with detailed routing analysis for engaging with key stakeholders.
With Optioneer, the Muir Mhòr team was given the greatest confidence in their grid connection options, with the flexibility to understand the various scenarios as the wider HND picture was developing.
“We can run a route in half a day with Optioneer compared to weeks with GIS only. As well as saving us a considerable amount of time, the platform took away a lot of the desk work and allowed our specialists to focus on what they do best. It gave us the knowledge and confidence we needed going into the HND exercise. The platform itself is visually impressive and has proven a helpful collaborative working tool for external stakeholder interactions, as well as internal multi-disciplinary meetings. ”
The result
Optioneer enabled the Muir Mhòr team to gain greater certainty on the viability of connection options and reach the conclusion of their preferred option without spending multi-£Million on survey vessels without prior extensive desktop study.
The team at Continuum Industries worked hard in the background to give us exactly what we needed. I was very impressed with the way they threw themselves into the challenge that we gave them and worked smoothly with our consultants.
options analysed
options analysed
to arrive at preferred grid connection option
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