High Voltage Subsea Connector for Offshore Wind

Sintef prepared the final report for their research on surface roughness on conductor surfaces facing insulation. NTNU student has finished master thesis, also on surface roughness. BH completed the detail design of test object and ordered the long lead items for verification.

Norway's Energi21 strategy specifies offshore wind power as one of six strategic areas for Norwegian research and innovation. The European Commission set ambitious goals to increase Europe's (including UK & Norway) offshore wind capacity from today's 20 GW up to 450 GW by 2050, where floating wind farms have the potential to deliver up to 150 GW. To realise massive deployment of large-scale floating wind farms in deep waters, far from shore, the electrical energy collection and transmission costs need to be reduced significantly. By placing substations on the seabed instead of on a floating platform exposed to harsh conditions, considerable cost-reductions will be achieved using simplified component designs and tailored specifications for floating wind farms. In such concepts, dry-mate 245 kV subsea connectors are essential for cost-effective deployment of floating wind turbines. Subsea connectors with such a high voltage rating do not exist today. In the CROWN project, Baker Hughes with the support of SINTEF and NTNU aims to develop the world's first subsea connector with a voltage rating of 245 kV for offshore wind using cost-effective design and manufacturing methodology. In addition, a full-scale prototype will be manufactured and robustly tested.