Review of Cabling Techniques and Environmental Effects Applicable
Review of Cabling Techniques and Environmental Effects Applicable
Review of Cabling Techniques and Environmental Effects Applicable
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3 Cable types <strong>and</strong><br />
18<br />
installation techniques<br />
3.1 Introduction<br />
This section <strong>of</strong> the report lists all <strong>of</strong> the cable types which are anticipated to be<br />
used in the near future for <strong>of</strong>fshore wind farm development work <strong>and</strong> sets the<br />
background to the methodologies which have been developed in other industries<br />
for the safe installation <strong>and</strong> protection <strong>of</strong> subsea cables. It then outlines the<br />
various cable protection methods, including all <strong>of</strong> the various cable burial<br />
methodologies together with details <strong>of</strong> alternative external cable protection<br />
systems. This includes details <strong>of</strong> the cable protection methods which are most<br />
applicable <strong>and</strong> relevant for the <strong>of</strong>fshore wind farm industry. Information on<br />
burial assessment survey techniques which are commonly used as a pre-survey<br />
activity before the main cable installation is included. Finally, this section reviews<br />
how legislation on decommissioning <strong>of</strong> the installed cable systems could also<br />
give rise to procedures which could have an impact on the environment.<br />
3.2 Cable Types<br />
3.2.1 GENERAL<br />
This section <strong>of</strong> the report contains details <strong>of</strong> <strong>of</strong>fshore subsea cables which would<br />
typically be used for <strong>of</strong>fshore wind farms. It also contains details <strong>of</strong> the cables<br />
which are commonly used in the subsea telecommunications <strong>and</strong> power cable<br />
industries.<br />
The design <strong>and</strong> construction <strong>of</strong> a particular subsea cable will be directly governed<br />
by the functionality <strong>of</strong> the cable <strong>and</strong> any requirement to protect the cable from<br />
any potential hostile seabed intervention. Figure 3.1 illustrates a typical range<br />
<strong>and</strong> size <strong>of</strong> cables which can be used for a variety <strong>of</strong> different applications. Some<br />
<strong>of</strong> the cables included in this figure are not all subsea cables.<br />
3.3 Offshore Wind Farm Cables<br />
3.3.1 GENERAL<br />
The design <strong>of</strong> subsea cable systems for <strong>of</strong>fshore wind farms will be influenced<br />
by a number <strong>of</strong> factors. Some <strong>of</strong> the factors are generic, while others are projectspecific: