The Wave Hub project has been developed by the South West RDA (Regional Development Agency) and will create the world’s largest test site for wave energy technology and consists of a grid-connected socket in the seabed, 16 kilometres off the coast of Cornwall. The site will allow Wave Energy Converter (WEC) developers the opportunity to test WEC arrays over several years in a fully monitored marine environment, and export their generated electricity to the local grid.
The chartered cable laying vessel, MV Nordica, has transited to JDR Cables in Hartlepool where the cable was manufactured. It is here that the cable will be loaded onto the vessel in an operation which involves spooling the tensioned cable directly from the JDR factory onto a 2000 tonne capacity carousel. The Wave Hub has been connected to the cable and was loaded onto the vessel first, followed by the 1,300 tonnes of cable.
Following this procedure, which should take approximately 4 days, the Noridca will transit to north Cornwall where the offshore operations will commence. The beach pull will take place first, followed by the cable lay, deployment of the hub itself and burial of part of the cable route. It is expected that the CTC workscope will be completed in August.
“CTC recognises the importance of renewable energy to the UK and believes the Wave Hub project is a significant milestone and opens up another avenue in the renewable market. We believe we can bring a significant contribution and become a major provider to this emerging business,” declared Daryl Lynch, Managing Director of CTC Marine Projects.
The accompanying photo shows Guy Lavender, Manager of Wave Hub, alongside the JDR Cables-manufactured cable which is Reddy for deployment. “This is a major milestone for Wave Hub and has been planned with military precision. We’ve already connected Wave Hub to the cable so it has been loaded first, followed by the cable itself. The whole operation needs to be carried out with great care so it will be a nail biting time for the whole team, but they are very experienced,” explained Lavender.
1,300 tonnes of cable
During its manufacture Wave Hub’s cable has been coiled horizontally around two giant 30 metre diameter rotating ‘spools’ or carousels in JDR’s factory, each of which can carry 2,200 tonnes. The 33,000 volt cable has been manufactured in one continuous length and is made up of six copper cores, 48 fibre optic cables, two layers of steel wire armouring and an outer polymer sheath. It is 16 centimetres in diameter.
The cable is being spooled onto a 2,000 tonne capacity carousel measuring 15 metres in diameter and 10 metres high and positioned on the rear deck of the Nordica. The operation is due to be completed before the end of this week.
Wave Hub is being funded with £12.5 million from the South West RDA, £20 million from the European Regional Development Fund Convergence Programme and £9.5 million from the UK government.
An independent economic impact assessment has calculated that Wave Hub could create 1,800 jobs and inject £560 million in the UK economy over 25 years. Almost 1,000 of these jobs and £332 million could be generated in South West England.
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