Paris-based offshore cable making and installation company Nexans has won a contract with Ørsted and Eversource to install and protect the export cable link for the Revolution offshore wind farm in the U.S.
The project will connect the wind farm to the onshore grid and help Connecticut and Rhode Island states achieve ongoing commitments to develop offshore wind.
Located more than 15 miles south of the Rhode Island coast and 32 miles southeast of the Connecticut coast, the 704 MW Revolution Wind Farm will address both states’ energy needs, delivering electricity to up to 350,000 homes in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Construction will start in 2023 and it is expected to be fully operational in 2025.
Nexans' flagship vessel the Nexans Aurora will be used for the installation.
According to Nexans, the vessel's 75-ton special design cable capstan provides the "market-leading" capacity for installation of cables in deep waters of 2,000m and beyond.
It has a 10,000-ton cable payload capacity and Nexans recently extended Aurora’s installation capabilities, allowing simultaneous laying and protection and reaching higher depths of burial with minimal environmental impacts.
Nexans’ Executive Vice President Subsea & Land Systems, Ragnhild Katteland said: "We are committed for the long term in the US offshore wind industry and look forward to pursuing our partnership with Ørsted and Eversource on this historic project. We have made strategic investments to scale our US operations and deliver high voltage subsea cables that are manufactured and installed in America."
"We are proud of our strong business model and this contract reinforces our ability to provide turnkey solutions in the U.S. and bolsters the supply chain with strong, local partners. As the world leader for cabling solutions for offshore wind-power production, Nexans is proud to support the great work being done in clean energy and to deliver on our commitment to electrify the future and fast-track the energy sector’s journey to net zero."
Worth noting, back in January Nexans received an order to manufacture approximately 110km of high voltage subsea cables to South Fork Wind, a joint venture between Ørsted and Eversource. The 3-phase 138 kV high voltage alternative current (HVAC) subsea export cables will be integrated with two fiber-optic cables and transmit 132 MW of electricity to Long Island, New York.
The HVAC cables for South Fork Wind will be manufactured at Nexans’ newly transformed subsea high voltage plant in Charleston, South Carolina, which is, according to Nexans, the only plant in the U.S. capable of manufacturing high voltage subsea cables.