Intertek Conducts Risk Assessment for Danish Offshore Wind Farm Export Cables

Quality assurance provider Intertek, on behalf of Danish transmission system operator Energinet, has carried out a risk assessment for five export cables that will be part of offshore wind farms planned to be built in the Danish sectors of the North and Baltic Seas.

The export cables that were the subject of the assessment will connect offshore wind farms from the North Sea I, Kattegat, and Kriegers Flak II sites to the Danish mainland.

Risk Assessment Process

For the future wind farms’ export cables, Intertek Metoc conducted an initial assessment of the analysis of threats and assessed the related risks to the integrity of the subsea cables’ lifetime operation. Utilizing bathymetric, geophysical and geotechnical route survey data, along with vessel and fishing data, Intertek evaluated potential threats and their impacts along the cable routes. The Cable Burial Risk Assessment also included recommendations for sufficient burial depths to mitigate identified risks, such as interaction with fishing gear or ship anchors, ensuring the long-term reliability and safety of the subsea cables, the company says.

As part of the work scope, Intertek Metoc provided a high-level Burial Assessment Study (BAS) which evaluated various cable installation methods to determine the most effective approach for ensuring the cables’ protection and performance. The BAS considered factors such as seabed conditions to determine the installation efficiency of various subsea power cable tools, providing a high-level strategy for cable installation, according to Intertek.

Offshore Wind Farm Capacities

The offshore wind sites that will be connected to the grid on land via the export cables can accommodate around 6 GW of offshore wind capacity.

The North Sea I offshore wind area is divided into two subareas that could see a total of 3 GW of installed capacity being built across the two sites. The Kattegat site could accommodate a minimum capacity of 1 GW while the Kriegers Flak II area also consists of two sites, North and South, which have a minimum capacity of 1 GW.

Recent Developments

In October 2024, the Danish Energy Agency (DEA) adopted plans for the three areas following environmental assessments and consultation feedback.

In April last year, the DEA launched tenders for the North Sea I, Kattegat, Kriegers Flak II, and Hesselø areas. However, in December 2024, the Agency said it did not receive offers for any of the three offshore wind farms in the North Sea (North Sea I A1, A2, and A3) and in January 2025, the DEA suspended the tender for the Hesselø, Kattegat II, and Kriegers Flak II projects, saying the current no-subsidy model was not working under current market conditions.