Guernsey's supply of green electricity

The Channel Islands power supply depends on the import of low carbon, low cost energy from France. When the power cable section linking Guernsey to France via Jersey failed, it was financially and environmentally inacceptable to just keep on repairing it and rely on fossil fuels for local power generation.

The new GJ1 link had to be installed rapidly to secure the supply of affordable, renewable energy for homes and businesses on the island. It was also crucial to reduce CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions and minimize the environmental impact.

Guernsey Electricity selected NKT as partner with all the know-how needed for the production and installation of the new HV (high-voltage) cable connection. The mission was to quickly and safely reinstate integrity of the electricity grid. NKT took on the challenge, and were assigned a contract that included cable design, manufacturing, route investigation and preparation, transport, cable installation and jointing.

To meet the very tight timeframe, we executed many preparations and operations simultaneously. We used our experience and expertise to design a solution that covered the specific requirements for efficiency and sustainability.

The cable system was manufactured in Karlskrona, Sweden, at the NKT plant fed purely on green energy. The cable is protected by double layers of armor wires and capable of transmitting power at 90 kV (kilovolt) of AC (alternating current).

The cable was loaded onto and installed by NKT Victoria. She is one of the world’s most advanced cable installation vessels, loading cable using only onshore power and running more efficiently than other cable-laying vessels at sea, reducing CO2 emissions with 55 %. She enables high precision offshore installation of HV cable systems.

Despite the typical tough sea conditions with strong tidal currents and bad visibility in the channel area, NKT safely installed the 37.4 km long cable system. The next generation cablelaying monitoring system on NKT Victoria provided real-time monitoring and data collection, ensuring optimal installation conditions. It played an important role when we replaced the GJ1 link – on budget and on record time 8 months from contract award to energization of the power link.