Danish firm NKT has delivered and commissioned the high-voltage cable system project for the 659MW Walney Extension offshore wind project in the Irish Sea.

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Image: The NKT’s high-voltage cable. Photo: courtesy of NKT A/S.

Located approximately 19km west of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, off the North-West coast of England, the Walney Extension wind farm is scheduled to be fully operational later this year.

Expected to be one of the largest of its kind, the project will have capacity to generate enough clean electricity to power more than 460,000 UK homes.

As per the contract awarded earlier, NKT was responsible for the design, manufacturing and commissioning the two 220kV extruded export cable systems as well as an underground cable system connecting the wind farm to the onshore power grid.

The firm has now delivered and installed all 220kV joints and terminations for the project, which is jointly owned by Danish offshore wind developer Ørsted with 50% stake, and Danish pension funds PFA and PKA each with 25% interests.

NKT executive vice-president Andreas Berthou said: “We are proud to be part of the ambitious project generating renewable energy in UK and we have seen great collaboration with Ørsted and other suppliers to the Walney Extension.

“In NKT, we are committed to the sustainable development of the global energy production, and this project reinforces our position as a leading provider of advanced high-voltage cable solutions connecting offshore wind parks to the power grid.”

The project features 87 turbines including 40 units of MHI-Vestas 8.25MW turbines and 47 units of Siemens Gamesa 7MW turbines.

NKT, in a statement, said: “With the Walney Extension, NKT underlines the company’s strong position in the global offshore wind market with extensive experience in the UK where NKT has supplied cables for projects such as Galloper Wind Farm, Hornsea One and the newly opened Race Bank Wind Farm.”

The power generated by the wind farm will be transmitted from the offshore substations to landfall via subsea export cables.