First Subsea has completed its first customer-witnessed open water demonstration of a new cable protection system (CPS) for offshore wind farms.
The CPS protects subsea power cables as they transition from the seabed into the wind turbine structure.
The First Subsea CPS is being deployed on Hornsea Project One, the world’s largest offshore wind farm. It reportedly offers a quicker installation and reduced risk of cable fatigue compared to traditional systems. Based on technology used for the protection of umbilicals and risers in the oil and gas industry, the CPS provides disconnection via remotely operated vehicle (ROV).
The open water CPS demonstration took place at Rovtech Solutions’ Underwater Test Facilities in Barrow-in-Furness, and consisted of: assembly dockside, deployment subsea and pull-in into a mock-up wind turbine structure and disconnection by ROV. The test facilities allowed the demonstration to take place in open water as close to offshore conditions as possible, incorporating challenges such as poor visibility and seabed interference, while still being accessible and visible from the dockside.
“We are delighted to have successfully demonstrated to customers how quick and simple the installation and removal of our new CPS is,” says John Shaw , managing director, First Subsea. “Following a recent contract to supply CPS to the Hornsea Project One, this is another significant milestone in our development and growth in the offshore renewables market.”