Onshore construction work has started on the 860MW Triton Knoll wind farm project in Lincolnshire.

The scheme, which is being delivered by both J Murphy & Sons Ltd and Siemens Transmission and Distribution Ltd (STDL), will power over 800,000 UK homes once fully operational in 2022.

Both Murphy and STDL have started carrying out initial onshore works, including the establishment of site offices, temporary construction compounds and bell-mouths at key points along the route. More than 57km of underground electrical export cable will be installed below ground in Lincolnshire, starting at the landfall location north of Anderby Creek, where the onshore and offshore cables connect.

The route runs to a new substation being constructed near Bicker, and then to the existing National Grid Bicker Fen Substation where the electricity from the offshore wind farm will ultimately connect into the grid. Over 300 individual directional drills, a UK infrastructure project record, will ensure the onshore cables can be installed without obstructing any roads, highways, rivers or drains.

Triton Knoll Project Director, Julian Garnsey, was recently joined by Murphy Chief Executive Officer John Murphy and STDL's Project Director Phil Manley to perform the turf-cutting ceremony on the onshore cable route.

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Mr Garnsey said: "Triton Knoll construction is officially up and running.  This moment is the culmination of years of planning, engineering, consultation, and cooperation with our supply chain and stakeholders to produce a state of the art wind farm, which benefits both local and regional economies.

"Triton Knoll is committed to supporting local and regional jobs, skills development and, through our investments, the further strengthening of the UK's already world-beating offshore industry.

"As we continue to progress through the weeks and months ahead, we and all our contractors look forward to working even more closely with our neighbouring communities, so that local people are aware of our works and how they are progressing."

Mr Murphy added: "The cable route presents an exciting engineering challenge for us and we've worked diligently and intelligently to create better engineered solutions that will allow us deliver it with minimum disruption. I'm thrilled to be able to break ground with Triton Knoll and Siemens and kick-start these exciting works. We're very proud to be working on the Triton Knoll project and with their team who are so firmly committed to leaving a positive legacy in Lincolnshire, an aim we share at Murphy."

Work on the new onshore substation will start early in 2019, with Siemens constructing a new facility close to the existing electrical substation near Bicker. Work is already underway to construct a new bellmouth entry point and 3.8km access road to the new substation construction site to ensure that construction traffic can avoid use of smaller local roads.

Mr Manley said: "This nationally significant project will have a vital role in creating energy security for the UK. As one of the lead contractors, making sure the energy created by Triton Knoll gets to the homes and businesses which need it, we play an important role in this project.

"Our main offshore work will begin in 2019, with work already underway onshore to build a new access road to the substation construction site. We anticipate a number of supply chain contracts will be available for UK supply chain companies, with details to be announced in the coming months."

(LM)