UK: JDR to Supply MC Link for Gunfleet Sands Project

June 13, 2012

JDR Cable Systems has won its first ever offshore wind farm export wire supply contract. Danish developer Dong has selected the subsea inter-array specialist to manufacture a 12km medium-voltage link for the two-turbine Gunfleet Sands demonstrator.

The cable is being produced in JDR’s Hartlepool facilities and will be finished by the end of next month for installation in September. The prototype turbines will go up the following month. The company will also manufacture the inter-array cable for the two 6MW Siemens machines as well as a spare.

The landfall of the export cable is close to Clacton-on-Sea from where onshore wires will tie in to a 33kV distribution network. JDR, the UK’s only inter-array cable manufacturer, is moving into longer medium and high-voltage cables and recently completed a £30m upgrade at its Hartlepool plant. It delivered a 25km export cable to wave energy test centre Wave Hub in 2010 but the Gunfleet Sands 3 job is its first wind export cable outing.

Elsewhere, Dong has awarded Nexans the contract for 122km of inter-array cables at its 389MW West of Duddon Sands wind farm. Installation is slated to begin in the summer of 2013 and the 108 Siemens 3.6MW turbines are due to go live in 2014.

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Offshore WIND staff, June 13, 2012; Image: dongenergy