China’s Orient Cable (NBO) has reported two offshore power cable contracts, including one that it says sets an industry record for an extra-high-voltage offshore route.

NBO, which was part of a consortium with partner China Southern Power Grid, said that the project developed by Energy China calls for a 500 kV 2500 mm subsea cable system that can provide 2 GW transmission capacity. The route length is approximately 118 km, which the company notes sets a record for longest offshore distance.

“This achievement further builds on our legacy and long-lasted R&D investment ... (and can) be considered as another base to standardize 500 kV HVDC OWF technology,” the release said. The project marks “a critical step in China’s renewable energy revolution and highlights the NBO’s unmatched engineering expertise in extra high-voltage, long-length and high-performance cable systems.”

The contract follows a prior related order for a 500 kV extra high-voltage AC (EHVAC) offshore wind subsea cable for a 92-km-long cable route. The project will have a transmission capacity of 1 GW for a project in Guangdong Province, China, developed by Energy China. That project was valued at over €240M, including the two circuits 60 km 500 kV three-core export cables.

“This innovative 500 kV subsea cable is the first (such)commercial application for the offshore wind farm in the world,” the release said. This is another key milestone for Orient Cable in the high-end EHVAC power transmission technology following the successful delivery of 500 kV 1 x 1800 mm subsea cable project 500 kV HVAC interconnection project for China state grid in 2019.

In January, Orient Cable (NBO) was named as one of the suppliers to Ørsted and PGE’s 1.5 GW Baltica 2 offshore wind farm in Poland. Orient Cable will deliver 170 km of 66 kV inter-array cables for the Polish offshore wind project.