Tekmar Group is supporting Orsted in identifying array cable protection issues at its Race Bank offshore wind farm.
The company issued a statement in response to response to commentary provided by Orsted in its first quarter interim report, published on 29 April 2021.
Tekmar chief executive Ally MacDonald (pictured) said: “We note the comments made by Orsted in their recent interim report relating to their discovery of array cable issues on a number of their wind farms across the UK and Continental Europe, and more specifically, in relation to cable protection systems.
“We are in discussions with Orsted relating to the protection of their installed array cables on one offshore wind farm project, namely Race Bank in the UK, and are supporting them to identify the root cause and remedial actions through standard operational engagement.”
The main issue noted by Orsted relates to abrasion of legacy cable protection systems (CPS) caused by movement of the CPS over the rock-scour installed on the seabed.
“Orsted highlighted that this was a change in cable installation methodology across 10 projects, where a second layer of rock was not used to stabilise the cable,” stated Tekmar.
Tekmar said the installation and maintenance of cables and cable protection systems in challenging subsea environments is complex and failure can be the result of many factors, including areas the company is not involved in such as installation and scour protection.
“The technology solution continues to evolve as the industry matures to meet the changing requirements to support offshore wind projects, such that CPS abrasion is not expected to be an issue for future installations,” stated Tekmar.
The company said that at this stage, in relation to its ongoing discussions with Orsted, that it does not anticipate a material financial impact for Tekmar Group and will provide shareholders with further information as and when appropriate.