The project involves development of 10GW of new wind capacity in the North Atlantic Ocean, which will be dispatched to the UK
The HIP Atlantic Project aims to bring 10GW of wind energy from the North Atlantic to the UK. (Credit: Franz Bachinger from Pixabay)
Hecate Independent Power (HIP) has launched the £21bn ($30bn) HIP Atlantic Project, which involves installing 10GW of fixed and floating wind turbines in the North Atlantic Ocean.
The offshore wind turbines will be linked to the UK through high-voltage direct current (HVDC) submarine power transmission cables.
According to Hecate Independent Power, the cables will be manufactured at a $277m customised power cable plant to be built at a port in northeast England.
Hecate Independent Power is a joint venture between Hecate Wind and UK-based Independent Power Corporation.
The company has made four connection applications with the UK’s National Grid for an initial 4GW of grid connections to the country’s 400kV electricity transmission system at four connection sites.
With a capacity of 1GW, each of the wind farms or pods will be built in a different location in the North Atlantic. All the pods will have their own exclusive cables that will be connected to the UK.
Hecate Independent Power said that the full dispatch of the power from the pods will be exclusively controlled by the UK electricity system operator. This will make HIP Atlantic Project, the first captive wind project of the UK in overseas territorial waters.
Hecate Independent Power chairman Tony Baldry said: “HIP Atlantic fulfils the Prime Minister’s vision of attracting investment and job creation in the North of England as part of this country’s ambitious policy to make Britain the world leader in offshore wind energy.
“We will stretch the zone of British-operated wind generation outside of our traditional territorial waters, pushing the boundaries of existing cable technology to generate over 1,000 kms from our grid landfall points throughout England.”
The initial 2GW of the HIP Atlantic Project will be built off the southern and eastern coasts of Iceland.
Anticipated to begin operations in early 2025, the initial capacity will coincide with the de-commissioning of the last coal-fired power plants in the UK and also the last of its original production from commercial nuclear power plants, said the company.