Irish transmission system operator Eirgrid has appointed NKT on a service contract for the 500MW East West Interconnector between Ireland and the UK.
The Danish cable company will provide services including repairs to the 200kV HVDC wire, integral for the transition to renewables, for a period of five years.
NKT said the deal marks the first contract to feature the company’s recently launched 10 days vessel mobilisation guarantee. “The guarantee removes uncertainty from the repair timeline which is crucial for minimising the outage duration,” said a statement.
“The level of preparedness makes a critical difference for the potential downtime of a power cable and we are happy to support EirGrid with our service expertise to ensure maximum uptime of the East West Interconnector,” said Oliver Schlodder, NKT executive vice president.
Eirgrid interconnection director Michael Mahon added: “We are focused on optimising the availability of the East West Interconnector to facilitate the integration of renewable energy onto the Irish and European transmission systems.
“This new agreement with NKT supports this goal and is another step towards transforming the power system for future generations.”