Page 29: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 2024)

A GROWING FLEET he following chart presents the international ? eet INTER-ARRAY CABLES: BOTTOM-FIXED PROJECTS of cable lay barges (CLB - generally for near shore/

Array and collector cables create loops or individual strings shallow water cable lay) and cable lay vessels of turbines that are generally connected to an offshore substa-

T (CLV). The chart excludes ~30 cable layers that tion. Originally medium voltage alternating current (MVAC) are operating in the ring-fenced Chinese market and domestic cables of 33kV, the development of larger turbine output has (mainly) CLBs operating in Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and driven an increase in inter-array cable, from 33kV to 66kV the USA. The remaining 50 or so vessels are effectively glob- high voltage AC (HVAC) cables today. The next evolution in al. Driven by increasing offshore wind activity, the deploy- array cable manufacture is the 132kV, capable of supporting ment of bigger turbines with larger wind turbines, and wind larger turbines (beyond 15 MW). farms being built further offshore is driving the investment in

HVAC cables are three-phase cables that are generally man- larger cable layers.

ufactured and laid as a bundle in a three-core formation. In

In terms of offshore wind cable layers, this article will focus this con? guration, each phase is a metallic conductor core, on four main groups of subsea cables, inter-array, export, oil such as aluminum. As such, the bundle contains three insu- & gas electri? cation, and interconnectors.

lated conductors (three “wires”) surrounded by an outer cor-

All charts courtesy Intelatus Global Partners www.marinelink.com 29

MR #8 (18-33).indd 29 8/8/2024 10:49:08 AM