Energinet picks Viking Link spare cable storage provider

Danish national transmission system operator (TSO) Energinet has appointed MacArtney Offshore Wind Solutions to provide the storage and handling system for spare cable for the Viking Link that will connect Denmark and Great Britain.

Energinet entrusted MacArtney with supplying a comprehensive storage system for 15 kilometers of spare cable for the interconnector expected to be operational by the end of this year.

MacArtney said it had fitted a complete electrically driven modular CEMAC solution comprising a cable carousel, cableway, spooling tower, and track tensioner – all combined in one control unit for automated spooling. The set-up is installed in a purpose-built warehouse at Esbjerg Port.

To meet Energinet’s requirement for a 40-year operational lifespan, the company has implemented a bi-weekly operation, ensuring regular motion and control of all moving parts and the process has been automated.

Viking Link will operate at ±525 kV DC and will allow up to 1,400 MW of power to be transferred between the UK and Denmark, passing through UK, Dutch, German and Danish waters, using single-core, mass-impregnated paper-insulated cables.

Prysmian installed the last section of the submarine cable for the project on 13 July, establishing the connection from Revsing ved Vejen, through the Jutland soil, across the seabed, and to Bicker Fen in northern England.