Aberdeen-based Subocean Limited, has been awarded a £27 million contract to install power cables under the seabed by Thanet Offshore Wind Development Limited.
The subsea installation company will lay and bury two 23.5 kilometre export cables and one hundred 750 metre infield array power cables under the seabed for the Thanet project, the first 100 Wind Turbine Generator (WTG) offshore wind-farm development in the world, off the North East coast of Kent.
The Thanet Offshore Wind-farm Development will provide a maximum 300MW of electrical generation, which is sufficient to provide electricity for 240,000 homes, and will meet a significant proportion of the energy needs for east Kent.
The wind turbine generators will be connected by an offshore cable network and connected to an offshore substation platform where the voltage is then stepped up for supply back to the National Grid network. Electricity will be transferred to shore via the two export cables, which will be routed to a landfall point in Pegwell Bay. All the power cables will be buried to protect them from any potential disturbance on the seabed.
Subocean was chosen by Thanet Offshore Wind Limited to deliver this project because of its experience and track record in offshore wind farm developments. The company has successfully transferred its expertise and experience in the subsea oil and gas sector to the young, but burgeoning marine renewables market.
Subocean operations director, Mike Daniel, said: ”We are delighted to be involved in the UK’s first 100 WTG offshore wind farm. This development will play a key role in generating green power in line with the Government’s commitment to renewable power and to improving security of energy supply as the UK becomes more dependent on imported energy.
“Subocean now has a proven track record in marine renewables, especially offshore wind-farm developments and, in line with our business plan, we are achieving a 50% growth in this sector.
Subocean had already started work on the Thanet project, by conducting offshore cable burial trials in the second quarter of 2008, with a new cable plough to prove that the full burial could be achieved in the soils encountered.
The cable installation offshore work at the Thanet worksite will start in the second quarter of 2009 using a newly chartered and mobilised cable lay barge onto which Subocean will install a new 5500T Carousel for carrying the 132kV export power cables along with a new cable lay spread and an existing cable plough spread.
For some of the infield array cables Subocean will also use a chartered DP2 vessel along with a cable lay spread and a new cable plough spread.
Using both the barge and DP2 Vessel spreads, Subocean, will lay the cables and bury them up to three metres below seabed level in water depths of between 10 and 20 metres.
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