The wind energy market is booming and maturing, providing a vehicle by which to meet the challenging climate goals of the Paris agreement. The Danish Kriegers Flak is a textbook example of this. With a production capacity of over 600 MW, it will become one of the largest offshore wind farms worldwide. And from 2022 it will supply more than half a million households with green energy. ABB contributes to this with solutions across the full electrical value chain to enable the future of sustainable energy through this landmark project.
Unique interconnection
The offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea is part of the Danish government's environmental program, whereby half of all Danish electricity must be renewable by 2020 and all Danish power by 2050. The park consists of two parts: the western Kriegers Flak A (KFA) with a total capacity of 200 MW, and the eastern Kriegers Flak B (KFB) with a total capacity of 400 MW. Every site has its own high-voltage station. These substations serve the wind farm itself as well as acting as an interconnector (KFE module) between the Danish and German electricity networks. In the future the substations will also serve the Danish – Swedish interconnector. With this, Kriegers Flak will not only deliver sustainable energy, it will also increase the possibility of electricity transmission between the different countries. A "Combined Grid project" that is funded with a subsidy from the European Union.
Netherlands the land of windmills
As a country with established excellence in windmills, the extensive project also benefits from Dutch input. For example, Hollandia, together with subcontractor Croonwolter&dros, built the three fully operational substations KFA, KFB and KFE, which were installed last summer. The latter was responsible for the total E&I, piping & tanks, and the purchase and installation of utility systems such as low-voltage systems, fire-fighting systems and HVAC. As a technical specialist in Marine & Offshore, the company engaged ABB for the design of the converter station, plus the engineering, supply and installation, including high-voltage equipment such as transformers, inverter valves, cooling systems and an advanced MACH control and protection system.
International cooperation
For an unmanned platform like Kriegers Flak, it is crucial that all components are reliable, offer maximum continuity and require less maintenance than usual. In order to meet those challenges ABB combined its specialisms; ABB Finland supplied the Medium Voltage installation of 33 kV, panel boards were produced at ABB Germany, the MNS main distributor was built in the Czech Republic and the Netherlands took care of the delivery of 24 sub-distributors with glass doors, allowing remote monitoring with cameras. The Dutch team also supplied panels with the SMISSLINE TP rail system, air circuit breakers, terminals, contactors, control units, Ty-Raps® and lightning conductors. A complete package; from high voltage to electrical outlet. And with the aim of simplifying the integration of sustainable energy and thus reducing our impact on the world.
"For an unmanned platform, it is crucial that all components are reliable and therefore require less maintenance" - Edwin van der Laars, Project leader technology Croonwolter&dros.
Text box / Facts & Figures
ABB complete solutions for safe, smart, sustainable and energy-efficient solutions and products for Kriegers Flak:
- Medium Voltage installations from 33 kV; supplied by ABB Finland, panel boards produced in Germany.
- MNS main distribution stations produced in Czech Republic including, with Arc Guard System (TVOC) and air circuit breakers (Emax2) provided by the Netherlands.
- 24 Sub distribution boards from the Netherlands.
- Furse lightning protection.
- Enclosures (System pro E control and operational IS2 panel boards).
- Modular DIN-Rail products (SMISSLINE TP, Energy efficiency devices, MCB’s, etc.).
- Wire and cable management solutions: Ty-Rap and stainless steel cable trays.
