NKT Bags East West Interconnector Contract

The Irish power grid operator EirGrid has awarded NKT a service contract for the interconnector connecting Ireland and Great Britain.

The cable and cable accessories supplier to the energy sector has been awarded a five-year service agreement by the Irish power grid operator EirGrid for cable related services including repair works for the East West Interconnector.

The 200 kV HVDC power cable with capacity of 500 MW between Ireland and Great Britain is connecting the countries power grid ensuring the high transmission security needed to power modern life.

For NKT, the agreement marks the first contract including the company’s recently launched 10 days vessel mobilization guarantee. The guarantee is a central part of the overall preparedness plan and removes uncertainty from the repair timeline which is crucial for minimizing the outage duration.

"It is a pleasure to see our vessel mobilization guarantee being well-received in the market where we see a growing demand for service agreements as the focus on uptime is increasing. The level of preparedness makes a critical difference for the potential downtime of a power cable and we are happy to support EirGrid with our service expertise to ensure maximum uptime of the East West Interconnector," says Oliver Schlodder, Executive Vice President and Head of Applications, Service and Accessories in NKT.

The service work will be carried out in accordance with a tailored preparedness plan designed by NKT to reduce the potential outage time in case of unexpected damages to both the onshore and offshore parts of the East West Interconnector.

For EirGrid the contract with NKT is a natural step in the ongoing focus to integrate renewable energy in the transmission system.

"We are focused on optimizing the availability of the East West Interconnector to facilitate the integration of renewable energy onto the Irish and European transmission systems. This new agreement with NKT supports this goal and is another step towards transforming the power system for future generations," says Michael Mahon, Director of Grid Development and Interconnection in EirGrid.

NKT will be providing highly experienced jointing technicians as well as tailored vessels, equipment and specially designed tools for efficient service operations.

Furthermore, the agreement includes inspection and spare part maintenance, fault locating, vessel preparedness guarantee, offshore cable handling, off- and onshore cable jointing work, engineering and monitoring analysis. By providing power cable jointing services to EirGrid, NKT continues to support the ongoing transition to renewable energy across Europe.