Cable products manufacturer Nexans has secured a €50m cable contract to supply 57km of high-voltage subsea power export cables to Northwind offshore wind farm in the North Sea.
The project includes 14km of 245kV cable to connect Belwind Phase 2 – a wind farm located offshore Belgium – to the 72-turbine Northwind wind farm, also located off the coast of Belgium.
A further 43km of cable of the same capacity will then be connected from Northwind to transfer 381MW of power, produced by both wind farms, to the Belgian village of Zeebrugge.
The 14km section of the cable will consist of three copper cores, each with a cross-section of 400mm2, while the majority of the 43km connection will comprise of three 1000mm2 copper cores.
In addition to the design, type-testing and supply of the XLPE subsea cables, Nexans will also supply mechanical and electrical accessories.
These include the onshore transition joints to connect the subsea cables to the land cables, the accessories for the two platforms, comprising hang-off and gas insulated switchgear terminations, and four repair joints.
Power generated by the project will be delivered to the Belgian electricity network at the ELIA HV connection station in Zeebrugge.
Nexans said the cables will also include two FO48 fiber optic elements, manufactured in the Nexans Rognan plant, to enable data communications, control and monitoring for the power transmission system.
