Both the export and inter-array cables of Norther’s EUR 1.2 billion offshore investment will be monitored using Marlinks technology
Norther wind farm chooses Marlinks cable monitoring technology. (Credit: Marlinks)
Cable-monitoring company Marlinks has secured a contract to provide cable depth and temperature monitoring for Norther NV, one of Belgium’s latest and largest offshore wind farms.
Both the export and inter-array cables of Norther’s EUR 1.2 billion offshore investment will be monitored using Marlinks technology.
Marlinks’ DTS-based technology (Distributed Temperature Sensing) harnesses the power of optical fiber to continuously monitor the changes in temperature and burial depth with a high spatial resolution. This allows operators to react quickly at the first sign of failure.
“Undersea cables are the Achilles’ heel in our business,” says Norther’s Executive Director Thierry Aelens. “We have chosen Marlinks as our monitoring partner because their data and models help us prevent such damage—a service worth millions.”
Having previously won similar contracts for Northwind, Northwester 2, Belwind and several other European farms, Marlinks is now one of the largest offshore cable monitoring companies in Europe.
“We are very proud that Norther confided in us,” says Roel Vanthillo, CEO of Marlinks. “It is a true vote of confidence for our technology and expertise.”
The installation of the system has started in the last quarter of 2020 and is expected to be completed in early 2021.
The Norther project is located 23 kilometers off the coast of Zeebrugge, Belgium. Its completion in early 2019 put Belgium in the top three worldwide in offshore capacity per capita, and in the top five in absolute installed capacity.
Source: Company Press Release