The construction work at the offshore wind farm Borkum Riffgrund 1 is progressing rapidly. On 21 st April 2014, the first cable was connected between the offshore substation and the first foundation.
By the end of 2014, approximately 80 kilometers of cables will be installed connecting the foundations to the substation, the heart of the offshore wind farm.
The cables, produced in Germany, were transported to the construction site with special cable laying vessels. The ‘Olympic Triton’, is perfectly equipped to lay the cables to the foundations. Furthermore a so-called “Ampelmann System” will be used for the first time during the construction work. This system is an offshore personnel transfer system which allows easy, fast and safe access from a moving vessel to offshore structures, even in high wave conditions.
Hergen Sichau, offshore installation manager at Borkum Riffgrund 1 , explained: “The vessel has to work very precisely. The cables have to be routed approximately 30 meters down to the sea bed, then the cables will be buried 1.5 meters further into the seabed. With this method, the cables are well protected from possible damage and they are safely buried.”
Press Release, May 23, 2014