Axess to deliver export cable pull-in system for US offshore wind project

Axess Technologies has signed a contract for the supply of an export cable pull-in system that will be mounted on the offshore substation at the Empire Wind 1 offshore wind farm in the U.S. The offshore substation will be delivered by the Singapore-based company Seatrium.

Under the contract with Seatrium, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sembcorp Marine Offshore Platforms (SMOP), Axess Technologies is responsible for the design, engineering and supply of the winch system, including all the pull-in accessories such as guide sheaves and a pull-in tripod.

The Norwegian company says that its 35 mT electric pull-in winch is designed according to the latest standards to withstand the harsh offshore environment and that it is also easy to dismantle, enabling easy mobilization.

The cable pull-in system is scheduled to be delivered in the third quarter of this year.

Export cables for the offshore wind farm will be supplied and installed by the French cable manufacturer Nexans.

Seatrium secured contracts for the delivery of two offshore substations for Empire Wind, one for the 816 MW Empire Wind 1 and one for the 1,260 MW Empire Wind 2, in May 2023.

The contract for the Empire Wind 2 offshore substation was cancelled in January 2024, following the Empire Wind joint venture terminating the Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Certificate (OREC) contract for the 1,260 MW project with the State of New York.

The first Empire Wind offshore wind farm, the 816 MW Empire Wind 1, was (re)selected in the latest offshore wind solicitation in New York in February. The same month, Empire Wind projects also received approval of their Construction and Operations Plan (COP) from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

Equinor, now the sole owner of the Empire Wind projects, expects to take a final investment decision on Empire Wind 1 in mid-2024 and start construction later this year.