Jan De Nul to install Greenlink Interconnector between Ireland and UK
Jan De Nul Group has signed a contract with Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. (Sumitomo Electric) for the installation of two subsea HVDC cables and one fibre optic cable that will link the existing electricity grids in Ireland and the United Kingdom, according to the company's release. The subsea cable route for the 500 MW Greenlink Interconnector is about 160 km long between County Wexford in Ireland and Pembrokeshire in Wales.
Jan De Nul is responsible for the end-to-end subsea cable laying and cable protection works. At the shore sides, Jan De Nul will perform the Horizontal Directional Drillings starting later this year in 2022. The offshore installation campaigns will be performed in 2023 and 2024. Jan De Nul’s cable-laying vessel Connector will install the subsea cables which will predominantly be buried in the seabed. Where the seabed does not allow cable burial, the cables will be protected by the installation of rock or concrete mattresses on top of the cables.
Greenlink is a subsea and underground electricity interconnector linking the power markets in Ireland and Great Britain and due for commissioning in 2024. Being awarded the status of Project of Common Interest by the European Union, it is one of Europe’s most important energy infrastructure projects, bringing green electricity to approximately 380,000 homes.
Greenlink brings significant benefits on both sides of the Irish Sea for employment, energy security and the integration of low carbon energy sources. For Ireland, it provides a natural link to continental Europe and the Nordic electricity markets via Great Britain.
