First Subsea Carries Out Open Water CPS Installation & Removal

First Subsea has completed its first customer-witnessed open water demonstration of a new Cable Protection System (CPS) for offshore wind farms, the company informed.

The CPS will be deployed on Hornsea Project One, the world’s largest offshore wind farm, following signing a multi-million pound contract with DONG Energy earlier this year.

The open water CPS demonstration took place at Rovtech Solutions’ Underwater Test Facilities in Barrow-in-Furness, and consisted of: assembly dockside, deployment subsea and pull-in into a mock-up wind turbine structure and disconnection by ROV.

The test facilities allowed the demonstration to take place in open water as close to offshore conditions as possible, incorporating challenges such as poor visibility and seabed interference, while still being accessible and visible from the dockside, First Subsea explained.

“We are delighted to have successfully demonstrated to customers how quick and simple the installation and removal of our new CPS is,” said John Shaw, managing director, First Subsea.

“Following a recent contract to supply CPS to the Hornsea Project One, this is another significant milestone in our development and growth in the offshore renewables market,” he added.

The order for 151 CPS units for the Hornsea Project One offshore wind farm is the first major UK contract in renewables for First Subsea.

According to the company, its CPS offers a quicker installation and reduced risk of cable fatigue compared to traditional systems, and a non-destructive disconnection via remotely operated vehicle (ROV).