Belgian offshore service provider Jan De Nul has penned a contract with Sumitomo Electric for the installation of two subsea high-voltage, direct current (HVDC) cables and one fibre optic cable that will link the existing electricity grids in Ireland and the UK. The subsea cable route for the 500 MW interconnector, called Greenlink, is about 160 km long, between County Wexford in Ireland and Pembrokeshire in Wales.
Under the contract, Jan De Nul will deliver end-to-end subsea cable laying and cable protection work. Horizontal directional drilling operations on the shore sides are set to start later this year, while the offshore installation campaigns will be carried out in 2023 and 2024.
Jan De Nul’s 2011-built cable-laying vessel Connector will install the subsea cables, which will predominantly be buried in the seabed. Where the seabed does not allow cable burial, the cables will be protected by the installation of rock or concrete mattresses on top of the cables, the contractor said.
will install the subsea cables, which will predominantly be buried in the seabed. Where the seabed does not allow cable burial, the cables will be protected by the installation of rock or concrete mattresses on top of the cables, the contractor said.Greenlink is a subsea and underground electricity interconnector linking the power markets in Ireland and Great Britain and is due for commissioning in 2024. Being awarded the status of “Project of Common Interest” by the European Union, it is one of Europe’s most important energy infrastructure projects, bringing green electricity to around 380,000 homes.
