Cable Pulling | 37km Offshore Cable to Connect NnG to Onshore Substation
Published 02 Jul 2021
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Thank you to NnG Offshore Wind for their kind permission to republish this article
Offshore to Onshore
Cable Pulling
The first of two export cables, each 37 kilometres in length, has been installed at the nearshore of Thorntonloch Beach as part of construction of the Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) Offshore Wind Farm.
These electricity transmission cables will connect NnG’s two offshore platforms to its onshore substation located in the Lammermuir Hills.
The offshore cable was transported to the nearshore area of Thorntonloch Beach by Prysmian Group’s cable-laying vessel, the 124 metre long Cable Enterprise.
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Cable Enterprise is Prysmian Group DP2 cable laying vessel that has been designed with almost 8 MW of power, allowing her to autonomously maintain position in harsh weather conditions. The vessel has the capability to undertake simultaneous lay and burial operations with any type of plough, including HD3 ploughs with up to 180 tons tensions. The vessel maintains her ability to ground out and to operate in very shallow waters with 7-point independent mooring system allowing her to meet stringent operational requirements. Wärtsilä NOx reducing system fitted to all 4 Wärtsilä engines to achieve 75% NOx reduction from base levels.
The onshore winch cable was pulled through a 650m long horizontal directional drill duct and connected to the offshore cable situated on the deck of the vessel, 1km from shore. The offshore cable was then directed back through the cable duct towards onshore where it will be connected to the onshore cables behind Thorntonloch Beach.
The Cable Enterprise will lay the offshore cable from the nearshore of Thorntonloch Beach to the site of NnG. The cables will be buried to protect them from damage. Prysmian, one of NnG’s tier one contractors, expect the second offshore cable to be installed in July.
NnG Offshore Wind
NnG, jointly owned by EDF Renewables and ESB, will supply enough low carbon electricity for around 375,000 homes and has a capacity of c. 450MW of low carbon energy and will offset over 400,000 tonnes of Co2 emissions each year.
Matthias Haag, NnG Project Director, said: “The installation of the first of our two offshore cables is a significant milestone in the construction of NnG.
“These two 37km cables will play a pivotal role in connecting our two offshore platforms to the onshore substation over in the Lammermuir Hills.
“We’re grateful to all our neighbours in and around the Throntonloch area for their patience as we carry out these vital construction works nearshore.”
Massimo Galletta, Project Director (NnG) at Prysmian Group, said: “We are proud of being selected for such a strategic project, proving our state-of-the-art cable technology, know-how and project execution expertise to support the growing renewable energy industry.”
Further reading
- How Do Cable Socks React To Salt Water?
- Cable Winch | Customised & Refurbished 5 Tonne Cable Pulling Winch
- Cable Socks – Technical Guide for Safe Cable Pulling Using Cable Socks
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