Van Oord has started loading the inter-array cable onto its cable-laying vessel Nexus and will install around 70km of 66kV inter-array cables manufactured by TKF and deploy its trencher Dig-It later this year, to protect the cables by burying them
Van Oord’s cable-laying vessel Nexus. (Credit: Van Oord)
Dutch offshore construction company Van Oord has started installing transition pieces and cable installation works at Iberdrola Deutschland’s Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm.
Van Oord has started loading the inter-array cable onto its cable-laying vessel Nexus, after completing the installation of all 50 monopiles using its heavy lift installation vessel Svanen.
The company will install around 70km of 66kV inter-array cables manufactured by TKF and will deploy its trencher Dig-It to bury the cables later this year.
Dig-It is a Tracked Remotely Operated Vehicle (TROV) that drives unmanned over the seabed to create a trench for the cables by liquefying the seabed.
Van Oord is currently installing the transition pieces on the previously installed monopiles, to complete the foundations for the wind turbines.
The transition pieces were transported from the manufacturing yard in Aviles to the company’s storage facility in Mukran, Germany, where the final preparations and equipment is installed.
Iberdrola Baltic Eagle director Luis Pérez Portela said: “Very key milestones are being completed in the construction site and we’re looking forward to completing all installation work before commissioning can begin.
“I’d like to thank all vendors, suppliers, partners and staff for their commitment and perseverance which is allowing us to deliver this important project.”
Iberdrola’s Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm is located 30km northeast of the German island of Rügen, on a site covering a 40km2 area.
The 476MW offshore wind farm will provide adequate renewable energy to power 475,000 households, reducing around 800,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.
The Baltic Eagle offshore facility is planned to be fully operational by the end of 2024.
Van Oord is responsible for the transport and installation of wind turbine foundations, along with the supply, transport, and installation of the inter-array cables.
Van Oord project director Henk Jan van Dijk said: “The installation of the monopiles marks a key milestone in the construction of the Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm.
“The contours are now visible. Now that the transition pieces are being installed and our cable-laying vessel is ready to install the inter-array cables, construction is progressing well.”