Nexans leads the charge to a new world of electrification with vital connection for Equinor’s first floating solar plant

Nexans has been awarded by Equinor a contract to supply power export cable for its innovative floating solar pilot offshore Frøya in Norway. The pilot project is scheduled to come online in December 2021 and will be the world’s first floating solar plant operating in rough offshore waters.

The Frøya floating plant will measure 80 m x 80 m, with a height of less than 3 m above the sea surface, hosting an array of solar panels capable of producing up to 1 megawatt.

Utility-scale floating solar power is currently one of the fastest growing renewable technologies as governments and investors around the world explore every possibility for safer, sustainable and decarbonized energy. This is expected to drive almost 10 gigawatt of new floating solar deployment by 2025.

Nexans will supply 22 kW export cable of 5 km to connect the floating platform from shallow waters to land. The most challenging aspect for the cable construction is to handle the dynamic loadings as the connection at the platform end pitches up and down with the waves. Nexans is utilizing a three-core cable design of a type well proven in offshore wind farm and fish farming installations. The cable will be manufactured at Rognan plant in Norway.

Krister Granlie, Nexans Vice President of the Submarine Telecom and Special Cables Business Unit, said: “Our mission for Nexans is to electrify the world. That means exploring every possible opportunity to help develop new sources of green energy. So, we are delighted to be working once again with Equinor on a truly exciting project that further extends the boundaries of what might be possible in generating renewable energy offshore.”