Jee Gets OK to Demonstrate ‘U-tube’ Solution

Jee Ltd has been awarded phase two of a contract with Scottish Enterprise, which will see them undertake the demonstration of their innovative “U-tube” solution in Scottish tidal waters.

In September 2014, Jee secured a phase one contract with Scottish Enterprise, which involved a pioneering study for the marine energy industry in Scotland. The contract tasked companies with developing solutions for locating, securing, protecting and recovering electrical array cables for tidal energy installations.

Jee’s protection system, the “U-tube”, features a pipe fixed to a J-tube which is secured to the turbine foundations at each end of the pipe. The cable is then pulled vertically into one of the J-tubes and through the pipe using a pre-installed messenger and winch line. Once the cable is pulled in, connections are made to the turbine nacelles using wet-mate connections. The “U-tube” system provides the marine contractor with full control of the cable installation, which can be stopped and reversed if necessary offering a high level of flexibility. It also provides a wider weather window for the cable installation.

Neil Ferguson, Energy and Clean Technologies Senior Executive at Scottish Enterprise, said: “Finding safe and low-cost solutions in this field is a key requirement for the successful deployment and operation of the initial demonstration tidal arrays around Scotland. At the same time developing this new technology will be fundamental to the reduction of marine energy project costs over the longer term, and enabling the successful commercialisation of the industry. The demonstration phase of this project is a key next step in achieving that, and we look forward to working with both companies over the next few months.”

Jee will be designing, manufacturing and delivering the “U-tube” in collaboration with the other contractor, Aquatera Ltd who are responsible for installation using their novel cable installation methods.