Consultancy LOC Renewables has brought together cable designers, underwriters and installers in order to encourage a collaborative approach to reducing risks in the offshore wind sector.
The symposium – ‘Reducing Risk in Offshore Wind Cables’ – was held in London last month and aimed to share experiences to guide industry best practices and procedures for cable installation at future projects.
One topic discussed was the use of real-time simulations that may lead to more effective ways to assess factors such as load and weather events in order to anticipate cable stress.
Marine warranty surveys also allow new technologies and ideas to be implemented effectively and safely to maximise the value to a project, the symposium also heard.
LOC Group joint chief executive RV Ahilan said: “Cables, both inter-array and export, are essential for the offshore wind sector, but historically have experienced a high failure rate.
“LOC have supported many repair operations in recent years and have built a significant experience base.
“In order to improve cable resilience the industry needs a strong forum where it can share and assess the best ideas for reducing cable failure risk, thereby ensuring the success of future offshore developments.”