Wind Energy – HVDC Cables
LS Cable & System, South Korea, has won a supply order of about 240 billion won ($167 million) in high-voltage, direct current (HVDC) cables for the Norfolk Boreas Offshore Wind Farm in the U.K.
This is the largest contract of orders to date won by a Korean cable manufacturer for a project in Europe, defined by the advanced use and development of renewables, an indication of further expansion into North America and Asia.
The U.K. plans to make renewables account for over 60 percent of its national power generation.
The Boreas wind farm is to be built by Vattenfall and it will be able to generate 1.3 gigawatts of electricity, upon beginning its operations in 2026.
LS Cable & System will supply 320 kilovolts (kV) of HVDC under the sea via underground cables. The significance of the supply deal is highlighted by the firm becoming the first supplier of HVDC cables, which use cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) as an insulating material.
XLPE is a hydronic tubing manufactured from polyethylene plastic featuring a 3D molecular bond structure and shape memory characteristics.
“Only a handful of firms have succeeded in developing XLPE cables defined by easy installation, connection, maintenance and repair,” an LS Cable & System official said. “The cables are increasingly emerging as a mainstream product in the renewable industries of Europe and North America.”
