Ørsted and Eversource are jointly investing in a Nexans subsea transmission cable manufacturing facility in South Carolina to provide subsea cables for the companies’ offshore projects in the Northeast.
In 2019, Ørsted and Eversource entered into a framework agreement with Nexans, committing to purchase subsea cables for their Northeast offshore wind farms. Nexans will manufacture approximately 620 miles of subsea cabling, with the first delivery of cables expected in 2022. The joint venture partners’ investment helped provide the demand necessary to support Nexans’ $220-million expansion of its facility (built in 2014 to serve the U.S. high-voltage transmission market), which will create more than 160 net new, local clean energy jobs.
From the Charleston facility, Nexans will deliver subsea cables up to 525kV HVDC and 400kV HVAC, covering the full range of needed products for export cables for offshore wind and subsea interconnectors.
Christopher Guérin, CEO of Nexans, said: “It’s an exciting time for the wind industry in the U.S. as we unleash the potential that offshore renewable energy offers. Our purpose is to ‘electrify the future’ and our expanded facility allows us to do that by combining decades of experience in developing and manufacturing high voltage cables with the newly launched and the most technically advanced cable-laying vessel (CLV) Aurora. We are thrilled to contribute to the wind power revolution in the U.S. and beyond.”
“We’re focused on building a domestic supply chain from the ground up, bringing jobs and investment to communities all across the country,” said David Hardy, CEO of Ørsted Offshore North America. “Our partnership with Nexans is just the latest example of our commitment to building a new U.S. manufacturing industry. We’re partnering with U.S. companies to build new capabilities and helping to attract international companies to the U.S. to help meet America’s clean energy goals.”
“A few years ago, we made a commitment to Nexans to utilize their cables for our offshore wind portfolio. Today, this investment is helping grow the domestic offshore wind supply chain, creating new clean energy jobs right here at home,” said Joe Nolan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Eversource Energy. “These American-made cables will benefit our projects by ensuring efficient energy transmission to the communities we’ll serve, as we deliver enough clean, renewable energy to power more than 1 million U.S. homes with plans to double that amount.”
Among the largest offshore wind partnerships in the United States, the Ørsted and Eversource joint venture is playing a unique role in the development of a domestic offshore wind supply chain. This year, the companies announced the commencement of the first American-built offshore wind substation, which will be deployed for the South Fork Wind project. The companies also recently announced plans to build advanced foundation components for their Sunrise Wind Project at the Port of Coeymans in New York creating more than 230 local jobs.
In December 2016, Ørsted and Eversource teamed up to launch a new clean energy industry in the Northeast. This partnership has now grown to include three offshore wind farms including the 704-megawatt Revolution Wind project serving Rhode Island and Connecticut; the 130-MW South Fork Wind serving Long Island, and the 924-MW Sunrise Wind project serving New York. All together, these projects will generate 1,760 MW of clean, renewable energy.
News item from Eversource and Ørsted
Filed Under: Cables & connectors, News, Offshore wind, Projects