Photo Credit: NKT
Minimizing costs and waste in offshore cable maintenance
When it comes to repairing submarine cables, cable owners and operators face significant challenges. Downtime can result in substantial economic losses and environmental impact – think of offshore wind farms relying on these cables for electricity export. Swiftly restoring the cable to service is crucial.
Submarine cable repairs are critical, with each day of downtime causing considerable economic damage to the owner. Keeping spare parts in stock that are compatible with common HVAC submarine cables reduces spare parts stock and minimizes cost, waste and downtime.
While cable operators can source external elements like cable repair vessels and jointers among others through service agreements with suppliers, providing spare cables and joints falls within their own purview. These spare components, typically delivered with the original cable project, include sensitive electrical, fiber optic, and mechanical parts. While spare cables can be stored for extended periods in low-maintenance storage baskets, the more delicate components require protection from external influences, regular inspections, and timely replacement upon expiration or damage.
Due to limited interoperability, many operators must maintain spares for each system in their portfolio, regardless of cable length or the likelihood of failure. This results in excessive capital tied up in stock, high warehousing costs, ongoing maintenance expenses, and unnecessary waste from unused parts.
Due to limited interoperability, many operators must maintain spares for each system in their portfolio, regardless of cable length or the likelihood of failure. This results in excessive capital tied up in stock, high warehousing costs, ongoing maintenance expenses, and unnecessary waste from unused parts.
The Adaptive Rigid Sea Joint employs a common base and adaptive components, significantly reducing spare parts stock and ensuring interoperability across cables, as the author speaks to in this piece.
Efforts to make joint designs interoperable with various cable types could alleviate these challenges. By adopting a common base for joints, operators could reduce inventory, minimize waste, and achieve cost savings. Such an approach would benefit the entire industry, promoting efficiency and sustainability.
By adopting a common base for joints, operators could reduce inventory, minimize waste, and achieve cost savings. Such an approach would benefit the entire industry, promoting efficiency and sustainability.
In summary, finding a balance between system-specific needs and broader interoperability is essential. Let’s explore solutions that optimize offshore grid infrastructure while minimizing costs and environmental impact.
Jakub Vastmans is active in NKT’s Service business as Manager of Commercial Excellence and Product Management. In his role, Jakub is responsible for NKT’s service product portfolio covering both the offshore and onshore power cable segments. His primary focus is leveraging NKT's extensive HV cable experience to identify solutions for cable owners' and cable operators' needs as well as leading implementation teams to develop these solutions into products.
Prior to transitioning to the Service business, Jakub was a member of NKT's in-house strategy department where he supported numerous projects across the company, most notably shaping NKT’s Service strategy. Before joining NKT, Jakub worked as a Management Consultant in Bain & Company's Brussels office and obtained a Master of Science degree in Energy Engineering from the KU Leuven and Grenoble INP.
