JDR to supply 66kV intra-array cables for East Anglia One

JDR, a leading supplier of subsea power cables and umbilicals to the global offshore energy industry, has been awarded a contract by VBMS (UK) Ltd to supply intra-array cables for ScottishPower Renewables’ East Anglia One (EA1) offshore wind farm.

The contract – the industry’s first commercial 66kV array cable project to date – will see JDR design and manufacture 155km of array cables including end terminations. The innovative 66kV high voltage technology will enable increased power transmission back to shore from large, high powered offshore turbines over 33kV cables. JDR will also provide a unique cable management system at each offshore wind turbine generator which allows for a 66kV topside connection to the switchgear cables.

VBMS’ Director Commerce, Jack Wattel says: “We are looking forward to cooperating with JDR on the production and installation of 102 66kV intra-array cables and delivering this prestigious project in a safe and efficient way to ScottishPower Renewables.” 

JDR’s CTO, James Young, says: “This award cements our position as leaders in subsea technology development. It’s fantastic to see that 66kV cable technology will be deployed on a large-scale project to further reduce the cost of offshore wind. Our continued relationship with VBMS and the latest contract with ScottishPower Renewables is not only testament to the quality of our solutions, but it will also help towards the UK government’s ambition to deliver record levels of UK content for the country’s offshore energy industry.”

With an overall capacity of up to 714MW, EA1 is the first of four projects in the East Anglia Zone. The offshore wind farm will consist of up to 102 wind turbines and will be located 43km off the Suffolk Coast in the southern North Sea. The wind farm is expected to power 500,000 homes when fully operational in 2020.

David Currie, CEO of JDR, comments: “We’re delighted to have been awarded the EA1 contract by VBMS. Our technology group has successfully completed the development, testing and deployment of our 66kV range through 2015 and 2016 by working closely with customers and the industry – resulting in two major project awards in a matter of months.”

JDR will manufacture the cables at its state-of-the-art facility in Hartlepool, UK, with delivery scheduled for Q1 2019. JDR was also awarded a non-commercial 66kV contract for the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC) demonstrator project in December 2016.