Nexans has been awarded a contract by project developer Offshore-Windpark RIFFGA KG, owned by Enova and EWE ENERGIE, to supply and install the infield submarine power cables and ancillary equipment for the Riffgat offshore wind farm currently under construction 15 km northwest of the German island of Borkum.
The Riffgat wind farm, covering an area of 6 square kilometres, will comprise 30 wind turbines providing a peak capacity of 108 megawatt (MW), sufficient to meet the needs of around 100,000 households. The Nexans facility in Hannover, Germany will design and manufacture just over 24 km of 33 kV XLPE submarine infield cables to interconnect the wind turbines and to link them to the offshore transformer substation. Nexans in Norway will be responsible for the cable installation which includes engineering, laying the cable and pulling in each cable end to the wind turbines, as well as protection of the cables on the seabed using the specialized Capjet trenching machine.
Final delivery of the Riffgat cables will take place in autumn 2012, while installation is scheduled to commence in July the same year.
“This is a strategically important contract to position Nexans as a leading turnkey supplier for the offshore wind farm market thanks to our proven capability to deliver the complete package of cables, accessories and installation services,” says Dirk Steinbrink, executive vice president high voltage and underwater cable. “The Riffgat project is unusual as it is located in relatively deeper waters (18 to 23 meters) than for most offshore wind farms currently under construction. It therefore provides the ideal opportunity for Nexans to demonstrate our specific expertise in the manufacture of infield cables for deeper water wind projects, especially as future projects are set to head for even deeper waters.”