UK: CWind completes cable team demonstrations in Barrow-in-Furness

In separate sessions over four days, clients, including wind farm owners, cable-laying companies and IMR service providers from the UK, Benelux and Germany, were given the opportunity to observe CWind's pull-in of an offshore wind power cable.  CWind is providing clients with an innovative and cost-reducing solution that incorporates the lessons learnt on to date nine offshore wind farms where CWind has provided this service.

CWind utilised the Barrow-in-Furness training tower of NWFTC, its training centre, to demonstrate the pull-in in a realistic scenario. The tower, which is also used for pre-project scenario testing, is the UK's only onshore training tower with a real transition piece. Clients were given the opportunity to climb the tower and observe the tower team during the pull-in of the cable. The demonstration also allowed a view into what would be under water underneath the confined space and monitor the progress of the cable through the aperture.

Lee Andrews, Operations Director at CWind commented on the success of the demonstrations: "Interest among clients has been really high for these demonstrations, we had to put on more sessions than we had anticipated."

Offering two sessions a day, CWind maximised the opportunity to demonstrate its proven methods and procedures. Lee Andrews said: "I believe the interest we've seen this week reflects not only the high appetite for innovative methods in our industry, but it is also a sign that our track record in pulling-in cables with speed and efficiency is being recognised as outstanding. At West of Duddon Sands, which is just off the coast of Barrow here, we connected array cables to the two turbines either side in under five hours and at one of our German projects we have recently completed a turbine a day, both of which remain industry leading records. Accuracy and safety are paramount when it comes to dealing with cables, our ability to combine these with well-trained, highly experienced teams and professional project management pays off for our clients every time."