Dutch integrated total subsea solutions provider N-Sea and Prysmian Group, an energy and telecom cable systems solutions provider, have signed a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with TenneT to provide nearshore and offshore cable inspection, maintenance and repair services for TenneT’s HVDC and HVAC submarine power cables in the North Sea.
Under this agreement N-Sea and Prysmian will be responsible for inspection, maintenance and repair services of TenneT’s owned and operated HVDC and HVAC Grid Connection Systems in Germany and The Netherlands with a total circuit length of approx. 4,000 km, consisting of around 3,400 kilometres of offshore cables and 800 kilometres of nearshore cables.
Specifically, the contract provides for the monitoring, regular maintenance and, if necessary, repairs of the offshore cable systems operated by TenneT. Prysmian acting as the main contractor in this agreement in partnership with N-SEA will be responsible to cover the potential scopes of operation in the offshore & nearshore areas of the German and Dutch North Sea, by utilisation of state-of-the-art inhouse and external assets.
Both companies can draw on many years of experience and a large portfolio of different cable-laying and repair units, so that they can react flexibly and quickly in the event of a possible incident, for example. The cooperation agreement sets out fixed warranty periods within which potential maintenance, servicing or repair work on the cable systems must be carried out and completed.
The agreement has a term of three years, with an option for an additional extension.
“N-Sea appreciates the trust offered by TenneT and Prysmian to be awarded such a strategic important subsea cable maintenance scope. N-Sea has built a unique and dedicated subsea cable repair & maintenance team with associated track record and specialised equipment to ensure flexible and quick measures in the event of a possible incident, for example. This agreement fits perfectly in our long-term N-Sea mission & vision to be an industry leader in subsea asset management. N-Sea looks forward to a good collaboration with TenneT and will deliver the agreement in a safe (zero harm) and efficient way.” says Jack Wattel, Director Subsea Cables N-Sea.
“We are delighted to provide TenneT with our comprehensive and effective asset management services for submarine cables, contributing to the stability of clean energy supplies to German and Dutch households. This agreement represents a further step in our longstanding, trusting relationship with TenneT, confirming Prysmian as a reliable partner able to ensure stable electricity supplies,” stated Hakan Ozmen, EVP Projects BU, Prysmian Group.
Tim Meyerjürgens, COO of TenneT, said: “Offshore wind energy is a key lever for the energy transition to succeed. As the largest investor and operator of offshore grid connections, we at TenneT are aware of our responsible role. That is why we are investing not only in the urgently needed offshore expansion, but also in the long-term reliability of our cable systems at sea. We are pleased to have experienced partners at our side in Prysmian and N-Sea for this task.”
Background
TenneT is the world’s largest investor and operator of grid connections for offshore wind power from the North Sea. Together, TenneT’s grid connection systems and interconnectors transmit around 14.4 gigawatts (GW) of electricity. In terms of figures, this means that more than 18 million households in Europe can be supplied with clean energy from the North Sea. TenneT plans to implement a further 22 offshore grid connection systems with a total capacity of 34.5 gigawatts in the North Sea region by 2031: ten of these in Germany and twelve in the Netherlands.
