ABB has completed the delivery and energization of the world’s first cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) insulated 345 kV AC submarine cable system. Extruded in a single continuous length without factory joints, the new cable system brings 512 megawatts of power generation capacity to the critical wholesale power market in New York City.
The ABB extra-high voltage cable system is part of the Bayonne Energy Center (BEC) power generation and transmission project, a new facility that will provide cleaner, more reliable power for Manhattan and the New York City power transmission network.
BEC comprises a new high-efficiency natural-gas fired power plant in Bayonne, New Jersey, that will generate up to 512 megawatts of electricity for transfer via the ABB cable system to a Con Edison substation in Gowanus, Brooklyn. The new power plant is scheduled to start production in the spring of 2012.
The New York is a busy international sea port with freighters, cruise ships, ferries and tourist boats anchoring or operating in the harbor. To mitigate concerns about possible future dredging in the harbor and the risk of anchor damage, ABB was required to bury the cables at a depth of up to 15 feet (4.6 m), which is significantly deeper than the 3-6 feet burial required for most other submarine power cables. The water depth along the cable route in the harbor is on average about 20 m.
ABB was responsible for delivering a turnkey cable system including design, engineering, manufacture, field construction at the landfall sites, laying and installation, and commissioning.
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Dredging Today Staff, January 19, 2012; Image: abb