Nexans, a maker of advanced cabling systems, has qualified its 420 kV XLPE subsea cable for installation at a world record depth of 550 m. This new technology opens new possibilities to create higher voltage subsea links in deeper locations than ever before.
According to the company, this is a vital preparation for a project to create a subsea power interconnector crossing Fensfjorden, a fjord close to Bergen in Norway, which is about 8 km wide and 526 m at its deepest point. The Fensfjorden project forms part of a broader plan by BKK Nett AS, one of Norway’s largest power companies, to strengthen the electrical grid in Western Norway. This includes a new 420 kV connection between Modalen-Mongstad that will ensure a stable and reliable power supply to more than 420,000 residents, businesses and industry facilities throughout the region. Installation on the bed of the fjord will be performed later in 2019.
"We have pushed the technological boundaries and our own previous world records," says var Rolfstad, Nexans project manager. "This new world record follows a previous record, also set by Nexans, with a 20 km 420 kV XLPE cable installed in 390 m of water in the fjord of Hjeltefjorden, Norway.
Nexans developed and produced the Fensfjorden cable its Norway facility.
