RWE installs foundations and cables for 857MW offshore wind farm in UK

German utility RWE has completed undersea work on the 857MW Triton Knoll offshore wind farm in the UK. The company installed 90 turbine foundations and two 50km-long power export cables.

RWE owns the majority of the wind farm, and plans to bring the wind farm online in the first quarter of 2022. It will have the capacity to power more than 800,000 UK homes.

In a statement, RWE said the installation was achieved within the schedule, despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Titon Knoll lies over 32km off the Lincolnshire coast. Owners RWE (59%), J-Power (25%) and Kansai Electric Power (16%) have invested approximately $2.64bn (£2bn) in the project.

RWE is carrying out construction, operation and maintenance works on behalf of its project partners.

In September 2017, the UK Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy awarded a contract for difference (CfD) to Triton Knoll.

The offshore wind facility has a power purchase agreement in place with Danish wind company Ørsted, which will purchase all power produced by the wind farm.

The PPA complements Triton Knoll’s CfD, mitigating any market price fluctuation for the first 15 years of the wind farm’s operation.

A spokesperson for RWE Renewables chief commercial officer and RWE UK country chair Tom Glover said: “The UK is one of the most important markets for RWE, where we have significant growth ambitions in offshore wind.

“Following in the footsteps of Triton Knoll will be our 1.4GW Sofia offshore wind farm, which has a potential investment value of around £3bn ($3.96bn).

“We are also looking forward to developing a number of extension projects to our existing UK offshore wind farms, in connection with opportunities arising from The Crown Estate’s latest leasing round.”

Earlier this month, RWE announced that it is planning to invest $2.4bn to increase its presence in the renewable energy segment.