3bn Danish kroner bill to fix Orsted’s chafe problem
Wind power project’s profit on the rocks as seabed rocks chafe power lines.
Orsted A/S, the world’s largest developer of offshore windfarms, has discovered that rocks on the seabed are damaging cables connecting its wind farm projects to the shore. The bill to fix its chafe problem comes to $489 million or 3bn Danish kroner.
In one case of the problem, Race Bank wind farm off the east coast of England — capable of powering about 500,000 homes — experienced a cable failure due to the lines scrapping over rocks placed on the seabed to prevent erosion and protect the cables.
“With movement in the sea, these cable protection systems get damaged,” said Marianne Wiinholt, Orsted’s Chief Financial Officer.
So far the company has identified 10 projects in the UK and Europe that use the same design and that will need to be remedied.
Dumping rocks on cables is a tried-and tested-way to protect them, but in some cases the cables will need to be replaced before they can be given an extra covering of protection.
