Prysmian signs Sofia export cable deal

Prysmian Group has signed a preferred bidder agreement with RWE Renewables for the development of the high voltage submarine and land export cable connection for the Sofia offshore wind project in the UK.

Prysmian will be responsible for the design, supply, offshore route preparation, installation, commissioning and protection of the 320 kV HVDC cable system that will carry power from Sofia’s offshore converter station to the onshore converter station in Teesside.

The company’s new cable-laying vessel Leonardo da Vinci, set to be delivered next year, will debut on the project.

In total, Prysmian will provide more than 440 km of ±320 kV submarine export cables with XLPE insulation, and 15 km of ±320 kV land cables with P-Laser insulation.

This includes symmetrical monopole HVDC submarine and land export cables, the latter using new eco-sustainable cable technology.

All submarine cables will be produced at Prysmian’s center in Pikkala, Finland, while the land cables will be manufactured at the Gron plant in France.

The finalization of the contract is subject to final negotiations and to the final investment decision by RWE, both expected in early 2021.

Onshore construction will begin at Sofia’s converter station site early next year, with offshore construction expected to start in 2023. The installation and commissioning of the HVDC export cable are due to take place in 2024.

A consortium of GE’s Grid Solutions and Sembcorp Marine will supply the HVDC transmission system for Sofia. The 1.4 GW wind farm will feature 100 Siemens Gamesa 14 MW turbines.