wiredInUSA December 2017

Preferred bidder

Dutch connections

Michael Hedegaard Lyng

VBMS, a subsidiary of Royal Boskalis Westminster, has signed a preferred bidder agreement for the supply and installation of inter-array cables for Moray Offshore Wind Farm East (MOWE) in the UK. MOWE is a joint venture owned by EDP Renewables and Engie. The project scope includes the supply, installation and burial, termination and testing of approximately one hundred 66kV inter-array cables. Execution of the project will begin in 2020. VBMS said the contract award is subject to financial close of the project, scheduled to take place in the second half of 2018. Moray East project director Oscar Diaz said: “This announcement marks another major milestone for Moray East. Advances in technology have enabled us to develop a project capable of delivering power at less than half the cost of similar projects being delivered today. “Cooperation with our supply chain has been vital to deliver cost reductions through optimizing technology, such as this vital aspect of the project, and we look forward to working with VBMS through project delivery.”

In a consortium with VBMS, the Boskalis subsidiary, NKT has been awarded delivery and installation of the export cable systems for Netherlands grid connection system Borssele Beta. Awarded by TenneT, the Borssele Beta order comprises 138km of 220kV AC high voltage submarine cables to be delivered, ready for installation by VBMS, in late 2019. NKT president and CEO Michael Hedegaard Lyng commented: “I am pleased… that we are seen as a strong partner in solutions to realize renewable energy targets. Further investments in a new grid infrastructure in both Europe and globally continue to provide an attractive outlook for NKT.” Future plans include the connection of the Borssele 3 and 4 wind farms, located in the North Sea about 20km from the Zeeland coast, to the onshore grid via the Borssele Beta connection system. When commissioned, the entire Borssele offshore wind area is designed to have a capacity of 2 x 700MW.

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wiredInUSA - December 2017