Preemptive Export Cable Repair to Start on Wind Farm Offshore Wales

N-Sea Group has been awarded a contract for a preemptive repair on one of the four export cables of the Gwynt y Môr offshore wind farm off Wales.

The Balfour Beatty Investments-Equitix consortium Gwynt y Môr OFTO plc has selected N-Sea to ensure the integrity of the export cable, with the company set to start offshore work in May.

“I would like to thank Gwynt y Môr OFTO for this unique opportunity, as it provides the proof and the trust of a renowned and reputable operator in N-Sea’s capabilities, track record and dedicated personnel,” said Rick van Bruggen, N-Sea commercial director of renewable and utility services.

Located some 13 kilometres off the coast of North Wales, the 576 MW offshore wind farm has been put into operation in 2015. The project encountered its first issues with the export cable that same year, which then underwent repair.

In January 2020, an Operations & Maintenance (O&M) contractor, while performing a routine test, discovered that all fibers within the spare fiber optic cable (FOC) within subsea export cable 3 (SSEC3) had failed.

This initial FOC break was located close to the location where the repair was undertaken back in 2015.

Several months later, Gwynt y Môr OFTO plc discovered another break on the spare FOC within SSEC3.

This led to ordering a new export cable, for which Sumitomo Electric industries was contracted in May 2021.

Gwynt y Môr is comprised of 160 Siemens 3.6 MW wind turbines spread across 80 square kilometres and is the fifth largest operating offshore wind farm in the world.

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