10
Prysmian Group Insight
DOING BUSINESS
Submarine excellence
Dolwin3, €350 million project secured in Germany, plus new contracts in the UK Channel
Prysmian Group has been awarded a new major contract
worth in excess of
€
350 million by Alstom Grid for the
, linking offshore wind farms
in the North Sea to mainland Germany on behalf of
the Dutch-German grid operator TenneT. The project
involves the supply, installation and commissioning of
High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) 320kV extruded
submarine and land cable power cable connections
with a rating of 900MW and an associated fibre optic
cable system, comprising of a 78km land route and of
a subsea route of 83km.
The turnkey connection
will link the offshore converter platform DolWin
Gamma in the ‘DolWin’ cluster zone to the
mainland for transmitting power from renewables
into the German Grid.
Coordination of the ‘DolWin3’ project execution
will come from Prysmian Group’s new offices in
Hamburg, using production from the Group’s centres
of technological and manufacturing excellence in
Arco Felice (Naples, Italy), Pikkala (Finland) and
Delft (The Netherlands). Marine cable laying will be
performed using the recently acquired team of Global
Marine Energy (GME) that has particular expertise in
offshore wind farm connections. The Group has also
been awarded two new contracts by Jersey Electricity
plc (UK), for the “Normandie 3” project to provide
electricity to Jersey in the Channel Islands from the
French mainland. This is the third such interconnector
to be installed and forms part of a significant 10-
year investment program by Jersey Electricity in their
transmission network infrastructure.
It also has been awarded a new contract by TenneT,
operator of transmission systems in Germany and the
Netherlands, for the connection of the Offshore Wind
Park (OWP) Deutsche Bucht, in the North Sea, to the
mainland grid. The project involves the design, supply
and installation of turn-key High Voltage Alternating
Current (HVAC) submarine power cable systems.
Prysmian Group has supplied Medium Voltage 15kV
ies
of contracts with different customers, such as General
Atomics, the designer and manufacturer of the Electro-
Magnetic Aircraft Launching System (EMALS system),
and Huntington Ingalls Industries, the shipyard that will
install most of the cables.
Kevin P. Hamilton, Defense, Specialties & OEM Manager
for Prysmian Group in North America, said, “We have
developed a customised 15kV cable for use in this
class of ship. The U.S. Navy had never previously used
voltages of more than 5kV. This cable is a vital part
of the new electrical system that has three times the
capacity of other aircraft carriers. Without developing
this cable, the increase in electrical capacity would not
have been possible.”
The additional electrical capability achieved with MV
15kV cables is needed to support the EMALS system
as well as other advanced technology. All fixed-wing
aircraft (i.e., non-helicopters) need assistance in getting
up to speed for take-off from the aircraft carrier’s deck.
Previously, the catapults used were powered by steam.
Cabling a US Carrier
