wiredinUSA August 2018

Aurora on the horizon

Cabling for Hornsea Project Two

The Nexans Aurora. Image courtesy of MAATS

Image: www.nkt.com

Nexans Subsea Operations has announced contracts with Ulstein Verft and MAATS Tech for the construction of a new DP3 cable laying vessel, Nexans Aurora . The vessel will be outfitted for power cable laying, including bundle laying, cable jointing and repair and cable system protection and trenching. Designed by Skipsteknisk, Ålesund, the ST-297 CLV has been developed for operations in rough weather, with high maneuverability and station-keeping capabilities. The vessel will have a cable turntable with 10,000-tonne capacity – a concentric “carousel in a carousel” design, able to process two cables simultaneously – and a fiber optic basket holding 450 tonnes. The vessel is 31m wide, 149.9m long, with a deadweight of 17,000 tons, and accommodation for 90 people. Ulstein Group is a family-run company established in Norway in 1917, specialized in ship design, shipbuilding, systems and services for the maritime market. The ship design company Skipsteknisk was established in 1976 and designs specialized vessels with the emphasis on offshore, research and fisheries.

Danish group NKT A/S has been awarded a $169 million contract to supply export cabling for Ørsted’s 1,386MW Hornsea Project Two offshore wind farm. Under the deal, NKT will deliver 220kV high voltage cables with a total length of over 190km (118 miles). The cable system will include three far-shorecables that will cover about 50 percent of the entire project and will connect the wind park to the reactive power compensation platform to bring electricity to the mainland. Cables will be made in Karlskrona, Sweden, with production scheduled to begin this autumn. Installation works are not part of the contract. Hornsea Project Two will be located 89km from the UK’s Yorkshire coast and will become the world’s biggest offshore wind farm, exceeding the capacity of the 1,200MW Hornsea Project One currently under construction by Dong Energy. Project Two is due to be operational from 2022.

wiredInUSA - August 2018

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