After installing 16 inter-array cables at the Beatrice offshore wind farm in late 2017, the cable laying vessel Siem Aimery continued the works with the second campaign that started on 10 March.
Within the ongoing campaign, the Siem Aimery is clearing the cable routes of any surface debris by performing a pre-lay grapnel run (PLGR) and will install up to 34 inter array cables.
The cables will be laid and buried between the wind turbines and the Offshore Transformer Module (OTM) foundations.
Cable burial will be undertaken by a tracked jet trencher launched from the Siem Aimery. Three trenching trial cables will be surface-laid and secured by clump weights. These trial cables will be recovered during the third cable installation campaign scheduled for July/August.
The first campaign was supported by the cable support vessel (CSV) Siem Stingray, and now those tasks will be carried out by the CSV Siem Barracuda. The vessel will assist with the inter-array cable installation activities by providing personnel transfer to wind turbine foundations with Ampelmann Gangway, as well as crane operations to transfer equipment to and from the foundations. The CSV will also be in charge of work class ROV activities at the seabed in the vicinity of the foundations, and survey activities along the planned inter-array cable routes linking the foundations.
The 588MW Beatrice offshore wind farm comprises 84 Siemens 7MW wind turbines and two Siemens Offshore Transformer Modules which will be inter-connected by 91 x 33kV medium voltage alternating current submarine composite cables, manufactured by JDR.
JDR will also provide Siem Offshore with termination and testing services for the wind farm’s inter-array cable system.