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EDS HV completes SeaMade export cable testing

By: Tom Russell 15/05/2020 EDS HV

Cables General

EDS HV Group has completed testing and termination project for Hellenic Cables at the SeaMade offshore wind farm. The company secured the contract to complete the termination and testing of the export cables prior to the Coronavirus outbreak.

Work was scheduled to begin on the Mermaid concession, located 54km off the Belgian coast, by the end of March. EDS HV stated that when the UK government announced the COVID-19 restrictions, the project team at EDS HV Group together with Hellenic Cables and SeaMade’s project team acted swiftly to ensure that the first phase of the project was completed to the agreed schedule, and posed no risk to personnel already located on the platform.

Pre-flight preparations included individually isolating the team of seven engineers and their supervisor prior to the start of the project. Health and safety risk factors were re-evaluated and adapted to reflect COVID-19. To minimise any risk during the helitransfer, the helicopter company were contacted to request that air filters were changed and a thorough deep clean of the helicopter was made prior to transfer. The flight was scheduled directly from Norwich to the jack-up platform in order to avoid hub airports and further minimise contact.

On the platform itself additional living quarters modules were built so that the EDS HV team could be fully segregated from the personnel on the platform, including food being delivered separately. Work was arranged in shift patterns to keep contact minimal with work areas fully disinfected after each action. Over the course of approximately 13 days, the project was completed and the team flew back.

Lee Glendening, Termination and Testing Business Manager at EDS HV Group said: “Although the Coronavirus pandemic presented a number of operational challenges, our engineers are used to working in challenging environments and within small teams. In addition to that our project management processes and systems are robust and we were able to adapt to ensure the safety of our team wasn’t compromised at any point, without impacting quality or timescales.

"A big factor in our ability to perform under pressure is our people. Our Team Leaders aren’t just chosen for technical knowledge; they are also there to motivate. Our people are built for this type of work; they have the experience, expertise and mindset.”

Kostas Papathanasiou, Project Manager at Hellenic Cables said: “EDS HV are well respected in the sector and are a safe pair of hands for this type of work, we had faith in them when we awarded the contract.Despite the global pandemic, we worked in close cooperation with them and together with our in-house resources and external subcontractors, we assembled the best team to complete the project, ensuring no downtime, delays, or safety concerns. We are looking forward to the completion of the final phase of the project.”

The SeaMade project comprises two wind farms, Mermaid and Seastar, and is located in Belgian waters approximately 40-50 km off the coast of Ostend, Belgium, in water depths ranging between 22 metres and 38 metres. The project is being developed by project company SeaMade NV, a joint venture of the Otary group (70%), Electrabel (Engie) (17.5%), and Eneco Wind Belgium (12.5%).

The two projects will have a combined capacity of 487 MW and will consist of 58 Siemens Gamesa SG 8.0-167 DD turbines, each with an individual installed capacity of 8.4 MW, mounted on monopile foundations. Each wind turbine has a hub height of 109 metres and a rotor diameter of 167 metres, and they are expected to power around 500,000 households annually. Once constructed and operational, the project is expected to offset 700,000 tons of CO2 emissions a year.

For more information on offshore wind farms worldwide, click here. You can also view projects worldwide on 4C Offshore's interactive map.

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EDS HV completes SeaMade export cable testing

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