The export cables that bring offshore wind power to shore are already so massive that one meter of cable can weigh 300kg. Nexans had previously upscaled its production facilities to cater for
The export cables that bring offshore wind power to shore are already so massive that one meter of cable can weigh 300kg. Nexans had previously upscaled its production facilities to cater for increasing demand; now it is upscaling its HVDC cables, typically 400kV, to 525kV. The company will be supplying at least 10 of these cable systems to European grid operator TenneT for multiple 2GW projects.
The cables will be heavier, and they have the potential to get hotter, necessitating deeper burial in the seabed. The potential risks can be a determining factor in the design of the cable. If a live cable were to be damaged, says Pascal Radue, EVP for Power Transmission at Nexans, the power released would be like that of bringing a French high-speed train travelling at 350 kilometers an hour to a standstill in 50 meters.
Therefore, part of the calculation that goes into determining the cost of offshore wind power is what insulation technology is suitable and what scope there is for standardizing cable layout across the geographic range of the project. Most of these cables are tailor made for an application, says Radue, so there’s not a lot of repeatability.
Tidal energy systems face
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