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HV Offshore Cork Harbour project

Cork Habour, Ireland

Using 220 kV submarine and onshore cables cables to connect Glanagow and Raffeen via a busy shipping route - 30.5 km total length

Key Facts

Client

ESB Networks, Ireland

Total cable route length

12 km

Location of the project

Cork Harbour, Ireland

Duration

February 2011 - July 2011

Quantity of order

220 kV HVAC underground and submarine cable system with a 570 MVA power rating

Scope

  • 22.5 km of XLPE single-core high-voltage underground cable and 18 km of XLPE single-core high-voltage submarine cable
  • High-voltage terminations and straight joints
  • Project planning, design and engineering
  • Manufacturing and testing
  • Cable-laying and installation
HV Offshore Cork Harbour project cable laying
HV Offshore Cork Harbour project cable storage
HV Offshore Cork Harbour project

The project

Two substations on each side of the shipping route in the Atlantic had to be reliably connected.

March 17 is St Patrick´s Day and the most important day of the year in Ireland. It was on this exact day in 2011, after less than a year of preparation and planning, that the 12 km power transmission link between the Glanagow and Raffeen substations was laid and installed.
Cork Harbour is one of the largest natural harbours in the world and is located between the two substations. The laying of a cable across such a busy shipping route and dealing with the extremely difficult environmental conditions onsite required commitment and competence.
The Cork Harbour Crossing II project thereby placed high demands on the flexibility of the companies involved, as well as on the quality of the technologies employed. High waters of up to 25 metres in depth, extreme tidal changes and strong currents reduced the time frame for installation to just four months. As the cable route led directly through the most important shipping line in Cork Harbour, it was a must to ensure that it could remain open for the ships.
Reference Map Cork Harbour

The solution

We faced the challenges with a precisely planned, tailor-made cable system and an excellent logistical concept.

The NKT turnkey project included project management, planning, manufacturing, cable-laying, installation and testing of the cable system. We truly fulfilled all requirements when it came to flexibility, cutting-edge technology and the ability to deliver customised solutions.
To this project, we supplied both submarine and underground high-voltage cable systems and provided high-voltage terminations and straight joints.
We manufactured the cable for each section in individual production lengths in our state-of-theart f2c factory in Cologne. After the final quality assurance at the factory, the cables were delivered on time by pontoon to Cork. During the cable-laying, the sections were buried in the seabed at a depth of 1 to 2 metres with the aid of a jetting system. The final testing and successful commissioning of the cable circuits were completed as scheduled in July 2011.
At NKT, we are proud to say that we contributed in the most effective manner to this highly efficient power transmission link. The recipe for success was, once again, our customer-oriented approach and our capability to handle and manage very demanding and versatile assignments.
“We have the experience and the know-how to manufacture and install reliable and ground-breaking cable systems.”
HV Offshore Cork Harbour project cable laying
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