Expert interview with Nexans - the 66kV cabling technology
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The document discusses the responsibilities of a product line manager at Nexans, particularly focusing on the development of 66 kV inter-array cable technology for offshore renewable energy projects. Nexans is working on providing efficient power connection systems, including tested accessories and junction boxes, to meet industry needs. The implementation of this technology is expected to reduce the cost of wind energy and facilitate easier installation in the renewable energy supply chain.
Expert interview with Nexans - the 66kV cabling technology
- 1. S t e f a a n M e n s a e r t Product Line Manager Renewables at Nexans What are your major tasks and responsibilities in the company? And what projects are you developing around the 66 kV inter array cable technology? I am continuously monitoring the developments and future needs in the segment Renewables regarding power connection systems and Nexans has engaged itself to offer a complete solution for the upcoming 66 kV need in the offshore market. Besides the 66 kV XLPE insulated submarine cable, a complete set of power accessories, including based on the outer cone technology has been developed and successfully tested. Being also an active member of the Steering committee of the Belgian innovation cluster for offshore energy and Nexans as a global company active in cabling and power accessories , strengthens this position. What is the major challenge that Nexans, as an experience cable manufacturer, had to overcome in order to deliver the 66 kV XLPE insulated submarine cable and the accessories, junction boxes and connectors? Why? From the interviews with the main developers in this market it became clear that flexibility of installation, compactness and ease of testing are the major concerns when it comes to connections of the 66 kV turbines. Therefore the use of outer cone technology based on an open – standardized What kind of tests have you executed on your designed junction boxes and connectors to ensure the industry, quality and high performance of your 66 kV cabling technology? All the accessories offered in the 72.kV range from Nexans have gone through an extensive qualification and typetesting process according to the IEC60840. For the OEM business, separate additional testing has been performed to meet specific requests, exceeding the values of the IEC60840. Nexans is to supply the 66 kV inter-array cable to the Blyth project in the UK. The industry believes that this new cabling capacity and technology will help to further decrease the cost of wind energy. As an expert in the wind energy industry, what do you think about this statement? Although initially there was some hesitation to adopt this 66kV voltage level, thanks to the fast interface” F” as defined in the standard EN50181 and EN50182 was from the beginning well appreciated and adopted by the different players in the supply chain, transformer-as well as switch gear manufacturers. In addition specific cost effective solutions, based on the same outer cone connector system , have been worked out to allow easy installation in between inter array and tower cables within a junction box;