French manufacturer Nexans has officially commissioned the Nexans Electra, a €300m cable lay vessel built to service large-scale offshore wind farms and high-voltage direct current (HVDC) interconnectors. Constructed by Norway's Ulstein Group, the ship is equipped with hybrid power systems and possesses a 13,500-tonne subsea cable payload capacity.
The vessel’s maiden deployment involves laying subsea infrastructure for TenneT’s BorWin grid connection in the German North Sea. Subsequently, the ship will transport materials from the company's US factory to the Mediterranean to execute the 122km, 225MW Malta-Sicily interconnector project, scheduled to commence in October.
Supported by a €7.7bn power transmission order book, Nexans developed the asset to expand its installation capabilities. The new vessel provides critical operational capacity, directly addressing anticipated supply chain bottlenecks as the European market accelerates towards its regional energy security targets.
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