Trelleborg will provide cable protection for the 25MW WindFloat Atlantic project off the coast of Portugal.
The contract with JDR Cable Systems is for the design, manufacture and delivery of dynamic cable protection products, including distributed buoyancy modules (DBM).
Developer WindPlus is installing the project, comprising three MHI Vestas V164-8.4 MW turbines installed on ballasted, triangular, semi-submersible foundations, supplied by Principle Power.
The floating wind farm will be situated in water depths of 100m off the coast of Viana do Castelo. Installation will take place later this year.
JDR Renewables is supplying the 66kV inter-array cables for the project.
JDR renewables project manager Paul van Es said: “The harsh environment of the Atlantic is a perfect proving ground for floating offshore wind and our technology.
“We believe engineering innovations such as these are essential to make a success of floating offshore wind and to enable the sector to make the most of its global potential.”
Trelleborg’s UK offshore operation supplied cable protection products for JDR’s WindFloat 1 prototype in 2011.
In floating production environments, subsea electrical power cables are used to inter-connect floating structures on offshore wind farms and run between the substation and the shore.
Trelleborg’s DBMs and bend limitation products are designed to secure, guide and protect power cables from excessive movement and bending that cause fatigue damage.
The WindFloat platform is connected to the seabed by a catenary mooring system, avoiding offshore operations associated with installing traditional fixed structures, reducing potential impact on the environment.
In March JDR chose Nexans to provide the connectors that terminate the inter-array cables, as well as a flexible connection inside the turbine between the transformer and switchgear.