wiredInUSA October 2018

Offshore connections

Joint-free production

Tennet’s connection project. Photograph courtesy of TenneT

Image: sketvmb.de

Germany’s SKET Verseilmaschinenbau GmbH has installed and commissioned two lines for Hengtong Submarine Power Cable Co Ltd (Hengtong) for the production of long, joint-free offshore cable. SKET supplied a vertical stranding line and an armoring line for high voltage offshore power cable (220kV, 3x500mm², XLPE insulated) up to 27km. SKET equipment included the bearing concept turntable, taping units and bitumen units. The company also supplied a rigid strander for 500mm² copper conductors. A release said that the Hengtong order represents SKET’s first project from a Chinese cable manufacturer: “This project can be seen as a milestone of SKET’s activities in Asia.” High-voltage offshore power cable is a key market for cable manufacturers in China.

Offshore grid operator, TenneT has issued a call for competition for the delivery and installation of submarine power cables to connect offshore AC platforms to the Dutch grid. The scope of the intended contracts includes design, engineering, production, delivery and installation of 220kV AC sea cable and may include 220kV AC land cable. TenneT plans to build several platforms that connect offshore wind farms to the onshore grid using HVAC sea cables. Platforms within one area, as part of redundancy requirements, will be connected using 66kV cable. The platforms will carry high-voltage switching and transformation equipment and auxiliary facilities. Intake power from the wind farms will be 66kV; export power from the platform will be 220kV. Each platform will be connected to the onshore grid using two three-core 220kV AC sea cable circuits and, if appropriate, by single- core 220kV AC land cables.

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wiredInUSA - October 2018