Nexans has completed the manufacturing of the 220kV offshore export cable for the Beatrice wind farm, with the final section now en route to the offshore site in the Outer Moray Firth, Scotland.
The final section is being transported and will be installed by Nexans’ cable laying vessel Skaggerak.
Nexans also installed and tested the first of the two 400kV onshore cable links and high voltage accessories at Blackhillock, where the onshore substation is being built.
According to the company, two offshore cables take a 70km route along the seabed to a landfall point to the west of Portgordon on the Moray coast, where a transition joint bay then connects them to the onshore cable system, which takes a 20km route to Blackhillock substation. From there, the 400kV onshore cables will transmit the electricity to the grid.
Nexans won the contract to design, manufacture, test, deliver, and install both circuits of the complete power transmission cable system, which included the delivery of a total of 265km of cables, comprising 145km of 220kV offshore cables, 115km of 220kV and 5km of 400kV onshore cables and the associated high voltage accessories.
The company completed the laying and burial of the first offshore cable route in 2017 and connected it to the offshore platform in February 2018.
In March 2018, Nexans installed the 400kV onshore circuits and their outdoor sealing ends, carrying out the termination works horizontally prior to connecting them vertically at the Blackhillock substation.
The 588MW Beatrice offshore wind farm will comprise 84 Siemens 7MW turbines and two Siemens offshore transformer modules. First turbines are scheduled for installation this summer, with the wind farm expected to be commissioned by the end of 2019.
Check out a video showing the export cable being loaded onto Skagerrak, as well as the beginning of the journey:
Video: Nexans