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Inter-array cable systems for Gode Wind 3 and Borkum Riffgrund 3 wind farms

Ørsted wind farms

The Gode Wind 3 and Borkum Riffgrund 3 offshore wind farms, located 60 km apart in the German North Sea, are being built simultaneously. Both projects are expected to be commissioned in 2024. Once fully operational, the two wind farms will be capable of supplying around 1.2 million German households.

As part of a €60 million contract with Ørsted, Prysmian is providing over 150km of 66 kV XLPE–insulated cables. These will connect Gode Wind 3’s turbines to an offshore substation platform and Borkum Riffgrund 3’s turbines to an Offshore Converter Station. Here, the voltage will be increased and converted for onward transmission to the German mainland, with an overall combined capacity of more than 1,100 MW.

“Our group was awarded both projects together and our group has designed and will supply all of the 66kV Copper/XLPE array cables and accessories,” explains Juliano De Mello, Business Director Offshore Wind Development at Prysmian Group. “We will take care of cable storage prior to load out as well as termination and testing of the array cables offshore.”

Juliano De Mello

Business Director Offshore Wind Development at Prysmian Group

“The cable designs were modified to ensure the cables could meet increased performance requirements specified by the transmission system owner. During finalisation of the contract, Prysmian provided support to the customer in progressing the design and interfaces with the transmission system owner. This was critical to avoid delays to the project development schedule. An important lesson learnt for us was the fact that design freezes and approvals should be considered a priority to ensure timely deliveries.”

Prysmian were chosen because of their proven, reliable designs and flexible manufacturing footprint. Expertise in cable system design, logistics and management of offshore services also proved essential to this project. The Group has a strong presence across the Northern Sea region and the Gode Wind 3 and Borkum Riffgrund 3 projects are an important addition to a growing portfolio of 66 kV inter-array cable systems. Other projects include Borssele III & IV, Hornsea 2, Hollandse Kust Zuid 3 and 4 and Provence Grand Large in Europe, and Empire Wind in the US. Prysmian also recently completed a contract with Orsted for 66kV inter-array cables for the Hornsea 2 project, one of the biggest offshore wind farms that will be able to supply well over 1.3 million homes with green, renewable electricity.

For me, the project has been a very positive experience, even though the world has been facing supply chain issues in recent times. In this project, we got to use a wide variety of Prysmian’s resources to provide an excellent solution and service level. I’m pleased that our co-operative approach during contract finalisation was recognised by the customer. We are currently discussing participation in a number of projects in their pipeline.”