Prysmian Group has been awarded
a contract by Iberdrola Renovables Offshore Deutschland GmbH - German subsidiary
of the wind farm developer and operator Iberdrola - worth a total of around
Euro 60 million to supply and install wind turbine inter array cables for
the Wikinger
offshore wind farm,
located within the West of Adlergrund cluster in the German Baltic Sea.
In May 2014 Prysmian Group
already announced award of a contract with 50Hertz Offshore GmbH to design,
produce and install multiple 220 kV HVAC (High Voltage Alternate Current)
3-core extruded submarine cable systems between planned offshore wind parks
within the West of Adlergrund cluster.
Under the
Wikinger contract,
Prysmian is responsible for the design, manufacture, installation, burial,
termination and testing of total 81 km of 33 kV submarine cables in different
cross-sections to connect the 70 wind turbines and an offshore substation
that form the 350
MW wind farm. Cables
will be produced in Prysmian’s facility in Drammen, Norway, one of the
Group’s excellence centres for submarine cables. Installation works are
scheduled to be complete by the end of 2016.
This
new project is a full inter-array “turnkey” supply and installation contract,
which re-affirms the Group’s full expertise in offshore wind farm connections
and an extended ability to execute complex installation solutions in this
field in order to support the demands of this growing industry.
Over the years Prysmian has investmented in new and upgraded assets, broadening
their range of products, services and capabilities in order, according
to them, to face the challenges coming from the offshore wind power
market in a timely manner.
The Group’s investment programmes have been aimed at expanding production
capabilities, at multiplying the use of innovative technologies and at
strengthening execution capabilities with conversion of a dumb barge to
self-propelled DP2 vessel able to operate in very shallow waters.
Prysmian has three production facilities dedicated to submarine cables
- these are situated in Arco Felice (near Naples, Italy), Pikkala (Finland)
and Drammen (Oslo, Norway); two installation vessels, Giulio Verne and
Cable Enterprise as well as in-house cable protection equipment, and specialised
operations teams.
The Group is able to serve the market for the interconnection of offshore
wind parks to mainland grids with a full offer of products ranging from
medium voltage inter-array cables, to HVAC and HVDC export cables and turn-key
EPC installation services.
Within its portfolio, Prysmian holds a track record of offshore wind power
connections, with projects either completed or on-going in Denmark, Holland
and the UK as well as the HVDC connections to shore in Germany for the
BorWin2,
BorWin3, HelWin1,
HelWin2,
DolWin3 and SylWin1
mega wind farm hubs, forming part of the most important programme for the
development of renewable energy in Europe.