Petrofac Assesses Subsea Cable Risks at Lincs OWF

Petrofac has completed a risk assessment and engineering support project for Transmission Capital Lincs OFTO on two 48km subsea cables connecting the Lincs offshore wind farm with the onshore transmission system.

Following a full assessment of the impact of external risks to the cable, such as fishing and anchor damage in areas where the seabed is mobile and comprises a mixture of sands and exposed rock, Petrofac was provided TC Lincs OFTO with a number of potential protection and repair scenarios.

Mike Lee, Head of Asset Management for Transmission Capital said: “Petrofac’s offshore experience and pragmatic approach helped us turn statistical risks into practical protection solutions for our cables”.

John McGregor Scott, Development Director at Petrofac said: “We’re very pleased to have had the opportunity to work with Transmission Capital. The project further demonstrates the technical capability of our subsea consultancy team and our unique expertise in addressing challenging seabed conditions.” 

Transmission Capital Partners was declared preferred bidder for the Lincs offshore transmission licence in May 2012 and established TC Lincs OFTO Ltd as a special purpose company to own the transmission assets and hold the transmission licence. TC Lincs OFTO was awarded a transmission licence on 4th November 2014 and took ownership of assets on 11th November 2014. The transfer value of the assets was GBP 307.7 million.

The 270MW Lincs offshore wind farm comprises 75 Siemens 3.6MW turbines, installed 8 kilometres off the coast of Skegness.