Germany: Cable Laying works started at Nordsee One offshore wind farm

Tim Kittelhake, Managing Director (COO) of Nordsee One GmbH explained: “In the last month we have successfully installed all 54 foundations for the wind turbines, as well as the foundation for the offshore substation. We plan to install the substation this summer. Currently, we are beginning the cable laying process. First, the cables are laid, and then they are buried into the sea bed by a specialized cable laying vessel. We expect to finish the complete inter-array cable laying works this fall.”

SIEM Offshore Contractors will supply and install the inter-array cables for Nordsee One. The submarine cables have a diameter of up to 160 mm. A layer of steel armour wire protects the high-performance electricity connectors from extreme conditions, which, in particular, may occur during installation. At the same time, they guarantee maximum energy transmission over large distances.

Pierre Lestienne, Managing Director (CFO) of Nordsee One GmbH added: “All 54 wind turbines will be connected via the inter-array cables to this offshore transformer substation. This is where the 33 kV power generated by the wind turbines will be converted into a transmission voltage of 155 kV.”

Once completed, Nordsee One wind farm is planned to consist of 54 wind turbines with an overall installed capacity of 332 megawatts. Nordsee One is owned by Northland Power Inc. (85%) and RWE International SE (15%).