Seaway Offshore Cables (SOC) and Subsea 7 have jointly won a cable supply and installation contract from Ørsted Wind Power North America for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project (CVOW Project) in the mid-Atlantic.
Image: SOC, Subsea 7 win cable contract for CVOW Project. Photo: courtesy of Seaway Offshore Cables.
The $300m CVOW Project, which is owned by Dominion Energy, in its first phase, will involve development of two wind turbines of 6MW capacity each on monopile foundations, which will be connected to the existing onshore grid using submarine cables.
The two turbines, which are slated to begin operation by late 2020, are expected to lay the ground work for potential large-scale development at a commercial wind site leased from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management by Dominion Energy.
Located about 43km off the US east coast and about 43km off the coast of Virginia Beach, the CVOW Project marks the first offshore wind initiative in the mid-Atlantic.
The turbines of the offshore wind farm will be installed in nearly 80ft of water and rise over 550ft above the ocean’s surface.
Ørsted Wind Power North America, the subsidiary of Danish power company Ørsted, is responsible for the construction of the CVOW Project.
Under their multi-million-dollar contract, SOC and Subsea 7 will carry out the turnkey supply and installation of inner array grid cables for the offshore wind project.
Apart from taking part in the submarine cable installation works, SOC will also deliver associated materials and services for the pilot project. Included in these are the supply of the submarine composite cables, cable protection systems and associated accessories, along with post-installation termination, trenching and testing services.
SOC said that project engineering works will begin immediately while the marine installation works are slated to be carried out in 2020.
SOC renewables and heavy lifting senior vice president Steph McNeill said: “Securing this contract has generated great pride within our entire SOC and Subsea 7 project team. This is a significant achievement that marks our continued growth in what we recognise is a crucial market for the world’s future energy needs.
“SOC brings to this project extensive wind farm installation knowledge and capabilities, the same areas of expertise that were used to install jacket foundations and inner array grid cables for 84 wind turbines at Beatrice, Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm.”