Nexans Wins Export Cable Contract in France

Nexans has secured a contract with RTE France to provide offshore and onshore power export cables for the Saint Brieuc offshore wind project in France.

As part of the EUR 115 million contract, Nexans will supply and install 67km of offshore and 93km of onshore power export cables at the project.

The company will supply 225kV three-core submarine cables with a hybrid armoring solution, as well as a fiber optic element for remote health monitoring of the cable link and transmission of information between the offshore wind farm and land base.

The cables will be installed by Nexans’ cable-laying vessel CS Skagerrak, while the specialized Capjet system will be used to trench the cables into the seabed for protection.

The contract also includes Inspection, Maintenance and Repair (IMR) services for the offshore part of the link. The laying of the submarine cables is due to commence in spring 2022.

Nexans stated it will supply 225kV single-core land cables, similar to those provided to RTE under the current land cables framework agreement.

Nexans’ facility in Halden, Norway, will manufacture the submarine cables, while the land cables will be supplied by Nexans’ Benelux plant, based in Charleroi, Belgium. The fiber optic elements will be supplied by the Rognan plant in Norway.

Saint Brieuc will comprise 62 Siemens Gamesa 8MW turbines that are expected to be operational by 2023. The 496MW project is being developed by Ailes Marines, a joint venture of Iberdrola, RES, and Caisse des Dépôts.