The Carbon Trust today announced the five winners of its dynamic export cable competition as a part of the Floating Wind Joint Industry Project (Floating Wind JIP), which aims to accelerate and support the development of commercial-scale floating wind farms. The Floating Wind JIP is a collaboration between industry partners EnBW, ENGIE, Eolfi, E.ON, Equinor, innogy, Kyuden Mirai Energy, Ørsted, ScottishPower Renewables, Shell, Vattenfall, Wpd, with support from the Scottish Government.

The competition, supported by BPP cables, was launched to address the lack of availability of high voltage dynamic export cables for the transmission of power from wind farms to shore, which has been identified by industry as a potential bottleneck for the commercial deployment of floating wind technology. The objective of the competition is to ensure that this necessary technology is a viable option for developers for commercial floating wind projects within the next 5-10 years.

The competition winners are:

• Aker Solutions (Norway)
• Furukawa Electric Co. (Japan)
• Hellenic Cables S.A. (Greece)
• JDR Cable Systems (UK)
• Zhongtian Technology Submarine Cable Co., Ltd [ZTT] (China)

Drawing on the expertise of existing offshore wind cable suppliers, as well as tapping into the oil and gas supply chain, the competition funding will support the design, initial testing and development of dynamic cables ranging from 130kV to 250kV to enable the efficient transmission of power from floating wind turbines to shore.

The Carbon Trust and the twelve Floating Wind JIP developers will be supporting and collaborating with these cable suppliers to support the development of their cables.

This first phase of the project will conclude in March 2020. Results may then help to inform subsequent project phases to support the deployment of dynamic export cables across the industry.

Rory Shanahan, Manager - Offshore Wind, the Carbon Trust, said:

“We are delighted with the response we got from the industry and we are looking forward to working with the five competition winners. The lack of dynamic export cables has been identified as a hurdle that needs to be overcome by industry to ensure the commercialisation of floating wind farms, and we are excited to begin work to ensure that this technology is ready in time for commercial floating wind projects.

Floating wind is a key technology for areas where water depths and/or seabed conditions are not suitable for bottom-fixed turbine foundations, and the continuing development of this technology opens up new areas and opportunity for offshore wind farms, helping to further decarbonise economies.”

ENDS

For further information, please contact the Carbon Trust press office on 020 7170 7050 or press@carbontrust.com.

Notes to the Editor

Further information on the competition winners.

Aker Solutions (Norway)

For over 175 years, Aker Solutions has engineered the products, systems and services required to solve maritime problems and unlock energy. Aker Solutions’ cable products are designed for rough offshore conditions as well as the dynamic forces that floating wind entails. Several decades of deliveries have demonstrated the quality of Aker Solutions’ unique cable design.

Furukawa Electric Co. (Japan)

Established in 1884, Furukawa Electric produces products across the energy, telecommunication and automobile sectors. Furukawa Electric specialises in high voltage cable systems for submarine and underground power transmission. They developed and delivered the high voltage dynamic cable systems for Fukushima floating offshore wind farm.

Hellenic Cables S.A. (Greece)

Hellenic Cables S.A. is one of the largest cable producers in Europe. Fulgor S.A., a 100% subsidiary of Hellenic Cables, has a track record and focus on value added products, such as the supply of MV submarine cables since 1972 and is now a provider of turnkey solutions of inter-array, high and extra-high voltage export & interconnecting submarine cables.

JDR Cable Systems (UK)

JDR Cable Systems, owned by the TFKable Group, is a global expert in umbilical and cable connectivity to the energy industry. JDR’s dynamic and flexible approach delivers the most effective solutions, building long-term partnerships and delivering highly innovated products and services for subsea and land infrastructure connections.

Zhongtian Technology Submarine Cable Co., Ltd [ZTT] (China)

Zhongtian Technology Submarine Cable [ZTT] is a large global technological enterprise. ZTT are specialists in the development, design, production, supply and installation of submarine power cable. ZTT’s innovative experts, advanced laboratory equipment and dynamic cable experience make them extremely well placed for this work.

About the Floating Wind Joint Industry Project

The Floating Wind Joint Industry Project (“Floating Wind JIP”) is a collaborative R&D initiative between the Carbon Trust and twelve leading international offshore wind developers. Partners are EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG, ENGIE Société Anonyme, Eolfi Holding, E.ON Climate & Renewables GMBH, Equinor ASA, innogy SE, Kyuden Mirai Energy Co. Inc., Ørsted Wind Power A/S, ScottishPower Renewables (UK) Limited, Shell Global Solutions International B.V., Vattenfall Wind Power Limited, and Wpd (UK) Windpower Limited. The Floating Wind Joint Industry Project was established to accelerate the development of these solutions.

Supported by the Scottish Government, the Floating Wind JIP aims to investigate the challenges and opportunities of developing commercial-scale floating wind farms. Since its formation in 2016, the Floating Wind JIP has been delivered through two stages, each consisting of studies to outline the critical needs for the sector to reach cost parity with other energy technologies. The increased scale of deployment will bring new challenges that require innovative solutions to de-risk the technology and reduce costs.

Further information on technical support

BPP Cable Solutions provides cable engineering and installation as well as cable operations and maintenance support services to the maritime renewable energy sector. The company carries out engineering and technical support services with the objective of reducing risks for wind farm operators, installers and cable manufacturers

About the Carbon Trust

The Carbon Trust is an independent, expert partner of leading organisations around the world, helping them contribute to and benefit from a more sustainable future.

• We advise businesses, governments and the public sector on their opportunities in a sustainable, low carbon world.
• We measure and certify the environmental footprint of organisations, supply chains and products.
• We develop and deploy low carbon technologies and solutions, from energy efficiency to renewable power.