Prysmian Group has received verification of its higher-voltage cable system technology for offshore wind inter-array networks. The Group announces the successful completion of type testing of its 66 kV cable system in accordance with CIGRE and IEC test protocols, as part of the Carbon Trust’s Offshore Wind Accelerator (OWA) programme.

Raul Gil, Prysmian PowerLink Chief Operating Officer, said:

This new qualification milestone is a further step along our path towards developing innovative, sustainable and cost-effective cable solutions for the offshore renewable power industry.

He added:

Prysmian is prepared and fully geared to support the global offshore wind market, including the UK’s Round 3 project opportunities.

The Carbon Trust is an independent UK company with a mission to accelerate the move to a sustainable, low-carbon economy. The OWA is Carbon Trust’s flagship collaborative RD&D programme, involving nine offshore wind developers and supported by the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the Scottish Government, and aims to reduce the cost of offshore wind through innovation by developing innovative concepts into commercial solutions.

Among the prioritised technological challenges, the OWA identified higher-voltage electrical arrays as an area for development that could significantly benefit the design of future offshore wind farms. As reported elsewhere, developers can expect to reduce overall offshore wind farm capital expenditure by up to 15% by raising the inter-array voltage to 66 kV. Moving to 66 kV would demonstrate a material improvement in lifecycle costs compared with 33 kV, which becomes increasingly attractive as wind turbines continue to develop in size.

To accelerate the development of a competitive 66 kV cable system market, the OWA supported selected cable manufacturers, including Prysmian, with testing and certification of their 66 kV cable system designs.

Prysmian has now type-tested a 3-core, 66 kV EPR-insulated “wet-design” cable system with aluminium conductor (copper is also available) and an integrated optical element. The solution includes factory and field joints and plug-in terminations (using proprietary Click-FitTM technology) and combines the use of state-of-the-art EPR insulation – a material with excellent performance in direct contact with water- with the cost-effectiveness of a lighter, lead-free design. Prysmian carried out the qualification process in its laboratories in the UK and Italy.

Although the qualified cable technology is innovative in its application, Prysmian has over 40 years of experience with such “wet design” EPR insulated cables up to 72.5 kV in a wide range of applications. This success in qualifying its 66 kV system will give offshore wind developers the confidence to reap the benefits by raising their inter-array system voltage, achieving significant overall cost reductions and greater competitiveness for offshore wind energy systems.

Original announcement: Prysmian
Image: Courtesy of Prysmian

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