Orient Cable Wins Contract for China’s ‘Longest’ Offshore Wind Export Cable Route

Chinese power cable manufacturer Orient Cable has been awarded two new export cable contracts in its home country, one of which involves the supply of a 500 kV line for what the company says is the longest offshore distance in China’s offshore wind so far.

On 14 April, Orient Cable (NBO) said that, in a consortium with China Southern Power Grid, it was awarded an EPCI contract for a 500 kV extra high-voltage AC (EHVAC), offshore wind subsea cable with a transmission capacity of 1 GW for a project in Guangdong Province, China, developed by Energy China.

The company left the offshore wind project unnamed.

The contract for the 1 GW project includes two circuits, employs 500 kV 3×800 mm2 EHVAC subsea cable for a 92-kilometre-long cable route, and covers the supply, design, engineering, manufacturing, transportation, pre-commissioning, installation and testing.

“This achievement further reinforces NBO’s expertise in EHVAC offshore energy industry. It marks another significant milestone for Orient Cable in advancing high-end EHVAC power transmission technology, following the successful commercial application of the world’s first 500kV HVAC subsea cable in offshore wind farms since 2023”, the company said in a social media post.

In a separate announcement, Orient Cable said it was awarded export cable supply by China Southern Power Grid for what is said to be the longest distance for an offshore wind project in China to date, with the export cable route of around 118 kilometres.

Orient Cable’s contract for this project, which the company also did not name, involves the supply of a 500 kV HVDC 2500 mm2 subsea cable system with a transmission capacity of 2 GW.

“Following mass production kick-off for China’s 1st 2GW HVDC 500kV subsea cable project in Q1 2025, NBO has added another chapter to its legacy and is excited to announce the win of another 2GW HVDC 500kV 2500mm2 Subsea Cable System”, Orient Cable said on social media.

“This achievement further builds on our legacy and long-lasted R&D investment, has proved NBO’s leading role in HVDC power transmission industry. The project will also be considered as another base to standardize 500kV HVDC OWF technology.”

The cable supplier has been involved in offshore wind projects both in China and abroad, including the Dutch Hollandse Kust West Beta grid connection.

In January this year, Orient Cable (NBO) was named as one of the suppliers to Ørsted and PGE’s 1.5 GW Baltica 2 offshore wind farm in Poland. For the Polish offshore wind project, Orient Cable will deliver 170 kilometres of 66 kV inter-array cables.