ETI and MacArtney to develop 11kV subsea cable connector

A new project has been developed to lower the costs of subsea cables for marine energy applications.

The latest £1.1 million project is financed by the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) and led by MacArtney, an underwater technology specialist. The 18-month research will develop an 11kV connector that will let marine renewable project developers to link cables together while underwater.

Presently, subsea power cables need to be lifted out from the water into a barge to connect them. Alternatively, a 6.6kV connector is used as well to link the cables; however, it only provides limited voltage to efficiently transmit the generated capacity from the tidal and wave facilities back to the electric grids.

Higher voltage connectors will not just lead to much lower maintenance and operational costs, but will also allow the use of remotely operated vehicles for the installation – leading to faster deployment of marine energy arrays. In addition, the 11kV device will significantly cut capital expense, as higher voltage allows more power to be transmitted per cable.

Achieving considerable operating cost reduction is essential to the long-term development of the UK’s marine energy industry. Steen Frejo, System Sales Manager of MacArtney, said that the project marks an important milestone for the renewable energy market.

David Clark, CEO of ETI, meanwhile stressed that the new connectors will minimize the costs of energy arrays by reducing cable expenditure and by making marine device installation simpler. Although it is forecasted that marine energy could deliver at least 2GW of the UK’s electricity demand by 2020, Clark believes that costs of marine-generated electricity should be more competitive than other traditional power sources.