Operations and Maintenance of Offshore

Transmission Assets
Mike Lee – Engineering Director – Transmission Investment
Chris Jones – Technical Leader - GHD
Contents
1. Transmission Investment and GHD
2. Introduction
3. OFTOs and OFTO regime
4. Difference onshore v offshore
5. OFTO performance
6. Experience and lessons learnt
7. Subsea cables
8. Conclusions
9. Q&A
Contents
1. Transmission Investment and GHD
2. Introduction
3. OFTOs and OFTO regime
4. Difference onshore v offshore
5. OFTO performance
6. Experience and lessons learnt
7. Subsea cables
8. Conclusions
9. Q&A
Transmission Investment

• With investor partners, Transmission Investment develop, procure,

construct, own and operate transmission assets
• Particularly active in offshore transmission with operational experience
of assets now > 10 years old
• In-depth experience of electricity supply industry
• Seven OFTO projects
• FAB HVDC interconnector FAB
France
Alderney
Britain
Interconnector
Gutteridge Haskins & Davey (GHD)

• GHD is one of the world's leading professional services companies

operating in the global market sectors of water, energy and resources,
environment, property and buildings, and transportation
• Employee owned organisation with over 10,000 employees globally
• UK energy team based in Newcastle and Guildford
• GHD team members have worked on all Transmission Investment
assets
FAB
France
Alderney
Britain
Interconnector
Contents
1. Transmission Investment and GHD
2. Introduction
3. OFTOs and OFTO regime
4. Difference onshore v offshore
5. OFTO performance
6. Experience and lessons learnt
7. Subsea cables
8. Conclusions
9. Q&A
Offshore Transmission

• Presentation based on CIGRE 2018 Session Paper B3-204

• Experience in UK with offshore windfarms since 2000

• Has been rapid growth in offshore wind generation
• 20 Offshore Transmission Owners operational
• Assets built by Developer/Generator and transferred under Ofgem regime
• TI was first OFTO in 2011, assets now > 10 years operational experience
• Assets include:
• Offshore substations
• Onshore substations
• Offshore Cables
• Onshore cables
Offshore Transmission Assets
Contents
1. Transmission Investment and GHD
2. Introduction
3. OFTOs and OFTO regime
4. Difference onshore v offshore
5. OFTO performance
6. Experience and lessons learnt
7. Subsea cables
8. Conclusions
9. Q&A
OFTOs and OFTO Regime

• Ofgem competitive process for grant of offshore transmission licence

• Value of assets determined by Ofgem (£30m to approx. £500m to date),
condition and suitability of assets determined through Due Diligence by OFTO
• 5 Tender Rounds complete, 6th underway with asset values up to £1400m
• Generator has to comply with Grid Code, OFTO as a Transmission Operator
has to comply with System Operator Transmission Owner (STC) code
• OFTO awarded 20/25 year license following competitive process to own,
operate, maintain and decommission assets
• OFTO revenue determined by base revenue adjusted based on performance
(bank better than target performance to offset worse than target performance)
• Possible licence extension after 20/25 years, depending on generation
• OFTO regime has been deemed a success by Ofgem with cost savings and
new players/investors participating in transmission
Transmission Investment OFTOs Portfolio
Dudgeon Robin Rigg (W) Gunfleet Sands Barrow

Financial Close Transfer Value Financial Close Transfer Value Financial Close Transfer Value Financial Close Transfer Value

November 2018 £298m

FAB Sept 2011 £34m
March 2011 £66m July 2011 £50m
France
Alderney
Lincs Britain Ormonde WMR
Interconnector

Financial Close Transfer Value Financial Close Transfer Value Financial Close Transfer Value
November 2014 £308m July 2012 £104m February 2015 £172m
Transmission Investment OFTOs Portfolio

Summary of assets
• 300 km subsea cable
• 140 km of onshore cable
• 32 transformers (>1.6 GVA)
• 54 bays switchgear ≥ 132 kV
FAB
• Six offshore substation platformsFrance
Alderney
Britain
Interconnector
Contents
1. Transmission Investment and GHD
2. Introduction
3. OFTOs and OFTO regime
4. Difference onshore v offshore
5. OFTO performance
6. Experience and lessons learnt
7. Subsea cables
8. Conclusions
9. Q&A
Comparisons of Onshore v Offshore – high level

Offshore Substations
• Weatherproofing for marine environment
• Protective coatings and treatments
• Maritime systems
• Logistics for personnel and equipment with additional factors for safety of personnel
• Required integrity of secondary systems

Onshore substations
• Basically same but more reactive compensation equipment

Cables
• Offshore cables very different to onshore
• Extensive use of Horizontal Directional Drill techniques
Contents
1. Transmission Investment and GHD
2. Introduction
3. OFTOs and OFTO regime
4. Difference onshore v offshore
5. OFTO performance
6. Experience and lessons learnt
7. Subsea cables
8. Conclusions
9. Q&A
OFTO Performance

• Annual availability figures for OFTOs since 2011 (2017 figures)

• Best - 100%
• Worst - 82.47%
• Average - 99.76%

• Most outages due to Generator/TSO, so opportunities for better coordination

Contents
1. Transmission Investment and GHD
2. Introduction
3. OFTOs and OFTO regime
4. Difference onshore v offshore
5. OFTO performance
6. Experience and lessons learnt
7. Subsea cables
8. Conclusions
9. Q&A
Experience and Lessons Learnt -1

• Variety of OSP arrangements, no consistent design philosophy, Deck /Module

and integrated structure have +/- aspects
• No consistent transformer rating philosophy
• N-1 preferred
• ONAN preferred
• Vacuum on load tap changers essential
• Very limited application of synthetic ester transformer fluids
• Transformer designs are generally onshore adapted
• Access to cables for HV testing
Experience and Lessons Learnt -2

• Switchgear has to be capable of switching long cables

• Potential for zero miss phenomena to occur
• Controlled switching has caused some unreliability
Experience and Lessons Learnt - 3

Switchgear
• Consider how to access export cable for
HV testing through GIS switchgear. HV
disconnection of VTs.
• Consider lifting for maintenance / repairs
• Trapped charge can be a problem -
consider how to dissipate it - wound VTs
have limited capacity ~80km cable
Experience and Lessons Learnt - 4

• Generators have been one of the most troublesome pieces of auxiliary

equipment
• Suitably oversized but also for cranes etc.
• Periodic on load testing via a load bank
• Minimum 10 days fuel reserve required
• Transfer of generator fuel from vessels requires more
consideration
Experience and Lessons Learnt - 5

• Mix of static and variable compensation equipment often combined with

capability of WTGs
• Dynamic compensation by SVC & STATCOM has been applied on most
projects, some experience:
• Some control system designs such that single mal-operation can cause entire loss of
output
• Controllers prone to spurious glitches which are “accepted” by suppliers
• Inadequate control and protection settings resulting in unnecessary trips or excessive
switching of mechanically switched elements
• Inadequate specifications for some circuit elements e.g. air cored reactors
• Performance of SVC/STATCOMs needs to improve
• Long term service agreements necessary for SVC/STATCOM and SCADA system
Contents
1. Transmission Investment and GHD
2. Introduction
3. OFTOs and OFTO regime
4. Difference onshore v offshore
5. OFTO performance
6. Experience and lessons learnt
7. Subsea cables
8. Conclusions
9. Q&A
Subsea Cables

• Are a significant part of the offshore transmission system

• Several issues have been encountered on subsea cables:
• Cable Burial Risk Assessments (CBRA) were not done in robust manner on early projects
• Poor performance of cable suppliers and installers
• Cable unreliability due to impact of integrated Fibre Optic Cables (FOC)
• A number of cable failures have occurred due to issues with particular FOC
• Insurers and lenders industry now very sensitive to subsea cables
Subsea Cables – Typical Design
Onshore Cables – Typical Design
Subsea Cables – Fibre Optic Core Issue
Fibre Optic Cores – Failure Risk Factors

• Failures have been limited to particular suppliers/designs of FOC

• Type of metallic tube for FOC
• Use of Aluminum armouring around FOC
• Low conductivity sheath around FOC tube
• Longer cable route lengths
• Inadequate earthing of metallic FOC tubes
• Highly loaded cable circuits

Issues now better understood and monitored

Fibre Optic Cores – Failure mechanism

• Failures don’t need mechanical damage to cable

• Variations in FOC sheath conductivity can occur
• Induced currents and voltages in FOC metallic
sheath can lead to localized heating
• Heating can cause damage to lead sheath as
well as power core
• Failure of power core can result from FOC
deterioration
• Monitoring of fibres can be used as early
warning signal
Contents
1. Transmission Investment and GHD
2. Introduction
3. OFTOs and OFTO regime
4. Difference onshore v offshore
5. OFTO performance
6. Experience and lessons learnt
7. Subsea cables
8. Conclusions
9. Q&A
Conclusions - 1

• Based on more than ten years operational experience it is concluded that

offshore substations and offshore transmission assets can be operated safely
and reliably
• The recommendations within TB 483 have been proven
• There are a number of design and operational practices which are
recommended:
• Operational access offshore needs to be fully considered in the
design of the OSP
• Equipment needs to be robust, reliable and resilient
• Ideally equipment design should have proven offshore
performance
Conclusions - 2

• Further recommendations:
• More condition monitoring and remote diagnostics
• Fully consider maintenance; aspects such as access, lifting and
weather in design
• Minimise impact of failure of a single system
• Combine maintenance activities through planning
• Spares should be purchased at time of EPC contract
• Thorough inspections in autumn before winter
Where next?

• More offshore wind farms and OFTOs coming

• TR6 currently underway
• Beatrice (£498.5m Ofgem Initial Transfer Value)
• Hornsea 1 (£1,396 Ofgem Initial Transfer Value)
• East Anglia 1 (£813.6m Ofgem Initial Transfer Value)
• Potential for OFTO build rather than Generator build
• First HVDC connected project likely in 2022 (Norfolk Vanguard/Boreas)
Some further reading

CIGRE TB 483 “Guidelines for

the Design and Construction of
AC Offshore Substations for
Wind Power Plants” CIGRE TB 612 “Special Considerations for AC
Collector Systems and Substations Associated
with HVDC Connected Wind Power Plants”

CIGRE TB 610 “Offshore

Generation Cable Connections”
Operations and Maintenance of Offshore
Transmission Assets
Mike Lee – Engineering Director – Transmission Investment
Chris Jones – Technical Leader - GHD

Questions?