Nexans partners with Siemens to supply 220 Kv subsea and land cables to connect Beatrice Offshore Windfarm to the grid in northern Scotland (photo: Nexans)

Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Ltd has chosen a consortium of Nexans and Siemens Transmission and Distribution Ltd to supply a transmission system to connect its new wind farm off the coast of Scotland to the grid. Nexans will deliver two complete 220 kV export cable circuits to help meet growing energy demands in the region. The development, once fully constructed and operational, could provide energy equivalent to the needs of more than 450,000 British households. The contract with Nexans is worth approximately EUR 245 million.

The turnkey contract will see Nexans manufacture and deliver two circuits of 90 kilometres, with a total of 260 km of onshore and offshore cables. The offshore cables will be laid by Nexans’ unique cable laying ship, C/S Nexans Skagerrak and trenched for seabed protection by Nexans’ Capjet system.

The Beatrice Windfarm project is a joint venture between SSE Renewables Limited, SDIC Power of China and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners. It is located 13.5km from Caithness in northern Scotland and will be operated and controlled from a base at Wick. The 588 MW wind farm will be made up of 84 7 MW turbines. Power will be carried by offshore and onshore cables to Blackhillock in Scotland to connect with the grid. Cables delivery will begin in summer 2016 with installation starting in autumn 2017. The wind farm will be operational by 2019.

Dirk Steinbrink, Senior Executive Vice President High Voltage & Underwater Cable Business Group at Nexans says, “This contract represents Nexans global commitment to meeting the growing energy demands and facilitate energy transition in Europe. It highlights our ability to deliver turnkey projects for connecting offshore wind farms to the grid.”

For more than 15 years, Nexans has been a key driver in the development of wind farm technology. It was the first company to manufacture three-core 245 kV submarine cables and the first company to manufacture 420 kV submarine cables. So far, Nexans’ cables have integrated in excess of 2,600 MW of offshore wind farm energy to power grids globally.

Tags: Nexans, Siemens Transmission and Distribution Ltd