JDR Preferred Subsea Cable Supplier for US Wind’s Maryland OWF

US Wind has chosen JDR Cable Systems as preferred supplier of both inter-array and export cables for its 750MW wind farm off the coast of Maryland.

JDR is in charge of the project management, engineering and manufacture of 122 miles (196km) of inter-array cable, 112 miles (180km) of export cable and cable accessories. The UK-based subsea power cable provider would also carry out cable installation and testing.

Engineering work is scheduled to begin later this year, with cable manufacturing expected to commence in 2018. Delivery and installation would take place in 2019 and 2020.

US Wind is one of two applicants for the Offshore Renewable Energy Credit (OREC), which is currently under a 180-day public comment period overseen by the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC). The other company that applied for building an offshore wind farm off Maryland’s coast is Deepwater Wind, the developer of the first offshore wind farm in the United States – the Block Island Wind Farm – which became operational last month.

After Deepwater Wind filed its Maryland application, US Wind made a case for its 750MW offshore wind project, saying that it has already spent more that USD 20 million to bring the offshore wind industry to Maryland, and that it is ready to invest much more.

Commenting on the selection of JDR as preferred subsea cable supplier, Riccardo Toto, President of US Wind, said: “We’re interested in putting together a whole new offshore wind industry right here, in Maryland, and bringing JDR here is a big piece of that puzzle.”

Over the past several months, US Wind has partnered with Tradepoint Atlantic, the Salisbury Chamber of Commerce and the Maritime Applied Physics Corporation in Baltimore to host a series of information sessions with business leaders and government officials.

The proposed 750MW offshore wind farm would comprise up to 187 turbines and produce power for more than 500,000 homes.