Provided by Dow Jones By Adria Calatayud Shares in Tekmar Group PLC fell Tuesday after the company said that it is in discussions with Orsted AS to identify the cause and remedies for wind-farm cable issues flagged last week by the Danish renewable-energy developer. Tekmar, a London-listed provider of technology and services for the global offshore energy markets, said it doesn t anticipate a material financial impact in relation to its discussions with Orsted. Tekmar said the discussions relate to Orsted s installed array cables on the Race Bank offshore wind-farm project in the U.K., with the main issue being the abrasion of cable-protection systems.
Turbine standing tall at Orsted s Race Bank, one of those affected by cable protection system faults.
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Tekmar Group is working with Orsted to identify the “root cause” of multi-million pound cable faults at several offshore wind farms.
The London-listed energy services firm has confirmed it is in discussions with the Danish renewables giant after the latter admitted the issues, related to cable protection systems (CPS), last week.
Orsted is planning a two-phase campaign to remedy problems with array cable protection at up to 10 of its offshore wind farms as part of a DKr3bn (£350m) O&M campaign that will run into 2023.
Sea-floor currents are dragging cable protection systems across rock-scour protection which is installed on the seabed around turbine foundations to prevent erosion.
This movement is abrading installed projection and leading to cable failures in some cases, according to the developer.
“The issue was recently identified following the recent replacement of a cable at the (Orsted-operated, 573MW) Race Bank wind farm in the UK” company chief financial officer Marianne Wiinholt told reporters during a Q1 results call.
30 April 2021 15:33 GMT Updated 30 April 2021 15:56 GMT
A massive bill for cable repairs, entry to new markets, plans to join the floating wind party, and a place on a Time magazine list of corporate high-flyers – not exactly a dull week at Orsted.
The global offshore wind market-leader took the industry by surprise when it revealed that cable-related damage at a number of its operating projects including at the UK’s Race Bank could ending up costing almost $500m – although the Dane insisted current developments underway won’t be affected.
The cable issue dominated discussion of Orsted’s first-quarter results, which showed a 52% fall on one-off factors, but there was plenty else to chew on from the Danish group.
Wind Power Giant’s Profit Hit by Rocks on the Seabed
Building power plants in the middle of the sea was never going to be easy.
The world’s largest developer of offshore wind farms Orsted A/S has found that some of its cables connecting to wind farms have been damaged by scraping against rocks on the seabed and will need to spend as much as 3 billion Danish kroner ($489 million) to fix them. It’s part of the growing pains for the offshore wind industry that’s become one of the fastest-growing sources of electricity.
Offshore wind farms involve a network of turbines with cables that connect to shore and into the power grid. The open seas provide stronger and more consistent wind speeds than on land.