ABB secures $40m cable contract for offshore wind farm in North Sea

ABB, a Switzerland-based power and automation technology group, has secured a contract from Danish transmission system operator Energinet.dk to supply an alternating-current (AC) power cable system for the Horns Rev 3 offshore wind farm.

The scope of the project comprises technical design, engineering and production of the high-voltage cable system, including accessories and installation.

The delivery of the cable is expected to start in 2016, while it will be manufactured at the company’s high-voltage cable factory in Karlskrona, Sweden.

Clean electricity produced by the wind farm will be brought to the shore through a 32km long 220 kiloVolt (kV) three-core polymeric insulated submarine cable, according to ABB.

The 400MW wind farm, which is located in the North Sea, about 30km off the western-most point of Denmark, has the capacity to power around 400,000 local households, once operational.

ABB power systems division head Claudio Facchin said the company has the portfolio, technical know-how, domain knowledge, project management capability and experience to execute such projects.

"We are pleased to support this initiative and promote the further deployment of renewable energy in Denmark," Facchin added.

Earlier, ABB has provided high-voltage cables from 145kV to 420kV for various projects of Energinet.dk, which is an independent public enterprise owned by the Danish state as represented by the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Building.

Image: ABB to provide power cable system for Horns Rev 3 offshore wind farm in North Sea. Photo: Courtesy of ABB.