First Offshore Wind Farm Wins U.K. Deal to Manage Electric Grid Voltage

Source: By Todd Gillespie, Bloomberg • Posted: Tuesday, February 8, 2022

A wind farm has for the first time secured a deal to help balance voltage in the U.K.’s electricity grid.

North Sea wind farm Dogger Bank C’s onshore converter station will provide reactive power to keep grid voltage stable, National Grid Plcsaid in a statement. The deal, worth 22.5 million pounds ($30.4 million), will secure capability from 2024 to 2034.

The station, together with National Grid Electricity Transmission, will provide 700 megavolt amperes of reactive power capability during that period. The management helps to maintain the secure flow of power to consumers across the country and contributes to controlling the frequency of the electricity system.

In northeast England, the wind farm’s converter station will help stabilize the grid’s voltage after the Hartlepool nuclear power station closes in March 2024, according to the statement.

“Reactive power capability is vital for managing voltage and being able to operate a zero-carbon system of the future,” said Julian Leslie, head of networks at National Grid ESO. “We’re excited to see that an offshore wind farm’s transmission asset will deliver reactive power to support the wider network for the first time in Britain.”

— With assistance by Rachel Morison