The Lynn and Inner Dowsing wind farms are a pair of round 1 wind farms located in the North Sea, in the shallow waters at the entrance to The Wash off the coast of Lincolnshire, England. The wind farms were developed as a single unit after planning consent was given in 2003. Construction work began in 2006 and was completed in 2009.
The farm has a maximum output of 194MW from 54 Siemens Wind Power 3.6-107 turbines with a generating capacity of 194 MW. The capacity factor of the farm has been 31 to 36%.
The Lynn wind farm and the Inner Dowsing wind farm were initially developed as separate projects by AMEC and Renewable Energy Systems. The projects received planning consent in 2003.[1] At the planning stage the development was opposed by fishermen.[2]
In 2003 Centrica Renewable Energy acquired the Lynn and the Dowsing wind farm projects and merged them into a single development.[3][unreliable source?] Tendering for construction of the wind farm took place from 2005, with contracts awarded between 2006 and 2007.[1]
In 2006 Nexans was awarded a contract to supply inter-array and export cabling for the windfarm, consisting of 32 and 40 kilometres (20 and 25 mi) of 36kV three core cables.[4]MT Hojgaard was contracted to install the offshore foundations.[5]Siemens Wind obtained the contract to supply 54 of its SWT-3.7-107 wind turbines for the farm,[6] and Siemens Power Transmission & Distribution supplied the onshore 33 to 132kV substation and associated switchgear, and was contracted to lay the onshore cables.[7]
Onshore civil engineering work began in late 2006 - a substation was constructed near Skegness.,[8][9] onshore construction including cable laying, was complete by 2007.[10] Installation of the offshore foundations was undertaken using the vessel MV Resolution - foundations were installed by 2007,[note 1] and cables and turbines were installed by 2008, with the last turbine installed July 2008. Commissioning work was complete in March 2009.[8]
During 2010 Siemens changed bearing on the Burbo Bank wind farm due to corrosion problems, and examined bearings at Lynn and Inner Dowsing; subsequently the company decided to replace bearings on all 53 machines in 2011.[15][16]
In the first four years of full operation (2009–12) the farm had a capacity factor of between 31 and 36%.[18]Levelised costs have been estimated at £102/MWh for Lynn and £97 for Inner Dowsing.[19] In c.2012-3 an additional 20MW of turbines were built within the wind farm, as part of the Lincs Wind Farm development - they were connected to the Lincs' export grid.[20]
In 2014 Cofely Fabricom GDF Suez was awarded the contract to carry out grouting repairs and structural modifications on the turbine foundations.[21][note 2]
By 2014 some of the initial 'under warranty' service plans were coming to an end.[23] In early 2015 ABB was awarded a maintenance contract for the electrical generators and other electrical equipment on the wind farm.[24]Cofely Fabricom GDF Suez was awarded a general repair contract for the farm including major repairs in March 2015.[25]
^Foundations were installed by either pile driving or drilling a pile driving. Water depths were 8.5 to 16 metres (28 to 52 ft)[5] 6.3 to 11.2 metres (21 to 37 ft) according to LORC
^Grouted joints installed c.2007-8 by MT Hojgaard between monopile and transition pieces had been found to be of a substandard design at the Robin Rigg wind farm.[22]
^Aldersey-Williams, John; Broadbent, Ian; Strachan, Peter (2019). "Better estimates of LCOE from audited accounts – A new methodology with examples from United Kingdom offshore wind and CCGT". Energy Policy. 128: 25–35. doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2018.12.044. hdl:10059/3298. S2CID158158724.
^"Lynn & Inner Dowsing success", www.fabricomgdfsuez-renewables.co.uk (press release), 28 May 2013, archived from the original on 25 February 2016, retrieved 17 February 2016
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