(Photos by Sabella)
Sabella has replaced the offshore dry-mate connector of the export cable in the Fromveur Passage, off France, for its D10 tidal energy project.
The two-day operation was concluded on August 31, 2017, using a multi-purpose vessel Olympic Taurus, chartered by Mojo Maritime France, a James Fisher Marine Services company.
The work, conducted by Sabella with the support from Mojo Maritime and MacArtney Offshore, involved replacing the part of the cable damaged in June 2015 during the installation of the D10 turbine and its jumper cable.
The team onboard Olympic Taurus pulled the cable head, rigged on a retrieval line by ROV, and secured it on the deck.
In Ushant, two engineers from Sabella performed electrical and optical tests on the 2 km long cable in order to validate the settings and well-functioning of this connector with the offshore team.
Once the green light was given, the export cable was laid back on the seabed close to the deployment area of the tidal turbine.
To remind, MacArtney provided the French tidal energy developer Sabella with the purpose-built subsea connectivity solution based on its GreenLink Inline Termination technology, to transmit the power produced by the turbine to the Ushant island’s onshore grid.
Sabella plans to reinstall the 1MW D10 tidal turbine later this year, or in 2018.