The project is planned to be developed by National Grid subsidiary National Grid Nemo Link and Elia, the system operator for Belgium, to enable energy trades and flows between the two markets.
The project involves subsea and underground cables connected to a converter station and an electricity substation in each country to enable electricity flow between the regions.
Under the contract, DeepOcean will be responsible for the marine works for the installation of the HVDC bundled cables from the transition joint bay in Kent, UK to the transition joint bay in Zeebrugge, Belgium.
The contract scope also includes route surveys and engineering, out of service cable clearance, pre sweeping in sandwave areas and crossings construction.
DeepOcean plans to use Maersk Connector vessel, which is due for delivery in the first quarter of 2016, for the installation of bundled HVDC cables.
The company’s T3200 mechanical and jetting trenching vehicle will be used for the burial of the cables while the cables protection in water depths of less than 10m will be undertaken by T2 tracked mechanical and jetting vehicle.
DeepOcean CEO Bart Heijermans said: "This is the third project we have been awarded for the Maersk Connector. DeepOcean has installed and trenched over 900 km of power cables globally, thus building a proven reputation within the market place."
J-Power was earlier selected to design, manufacture and install the HVDC XLPE cable system for the project.
In addition to increasing energy security for both countries, the interconnector project is expected to support integration of renewable energy.
Construction of the project is scheduled to be carried out over a three year period starting in 2016. The offshore works for the project is planned to be completed in 2018.
Image: DeepOcean’s T3200 trencher. Photo: courtesy of DeepOcean.
