E.ON Selects Nexans Subsea Cables for Arkona

Nexans Deutschland has won a contract to supply 76 kilometres of subsea energy cables to E.ON for the 385MW Arkona offshore wind farm.

The cables, which will be manufactured in Nexans’ Hanover plant, are designed for operation at 33 kV and will serve as the internal cabling for the wind farm which is to be built between the Baltic Sea islands of Rügen and Bornholm and expected to be commissioned in 2019.

The order includes 48 kilometres of three-phase cables with a 300 mm² cross-section and 28 kilometres of cables with an 800 mm² cross-section, along with the fittings and accessories needed for installation.

The cables will connect the 60 wind turbines to each other and to the transformer platform. To cope with the high currents produced when a series of wind turbines are interconnected, Nexans 33 kV submarine cables with a large 800 mm² cross-section will be used at Arkona for the first time.

The delivery of the subsea cables is scheduled for the beginning of 2018. The point of delivery will be the ferry port of Sassnitz, Rügen, chosen last summer by E.ON as the logistics hub for this project.

The Arkona order is the first contract for submarine cables between E.ON and Nexans Deutschland.

E.ON has a 50% stake in the offshore project and is in charge of constructing and operating the wind farm. The energy company Statoil holds the remaining 50% stake in the project.