EnBW Begins Submarine Cable Installation for He Dreiht Offshore Wind Farm
EnBW has initiated the laying of the first submarine cable for the internal wind farm cabling that will connect all 64 Vestas V236-15.0 MW turbines of the 960 MW He Dreiht offshore wind farm.
Seaway7 has been tasked with the installation, with EnBW awarding them an engineering, procurement, installation, and commissioning (EPIC) contract in 2022 for the inter-array cables for the He Dreiht project.
Two installation vessels are scheduled to lay and bury approximately 100 kilometers of cables on the seabed of the North Sea by the summer.
The 66 kV subsea array cables are supplied by UK-based JDR under a contract signed with Seaway7 in August 2022.
Integration with Converter Platform
The internal wind farm cabling will ultimately be connected to the converter platform managed by the transmission system operator (TSO) TenneT, which is set to be installed offshore in the summer.
From there, the electricity generated will be converted from alternating current to direct current and transported ashore using two high-voltage DC export cables.
Project Progress and Impact
The He Dreiht project is poised to enter the wind turbine installation phase soon, following the completion of all monopile foundations at the project site located approximately 90 kilometers northwest of the island of Borkum in the summer of 2024.
The 960 MW wind farm will feature 64 V236-15.0 MW wind turbines provided by Vestas and is expected to produce enough electricity to power around 1.1 million households.