“Game-changing” cable tech boosts wind farm reliability

A “pioneering” innovation is set to enhance operational efficiency and reliability at a major offshore wind farm, helping to secure stable clean energy for millions of UK homes.

Proserv’s Electro Cable Guard (ECG™), an advanced cable monitoring system, will be deployed at the Dogger Bank C Wind Farm, the third phase of what will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm upon completion in 2027.

The technology, supplied under a contract with DEME, identifies early signs of cable failure, enabling proactive maintenance to prevent costly outages.

Bosses say the system, developed in collaboration with power monitoring specialist Synaptec, will address up to 90 per cent of common cable system failure modes, offering “substantial cost savings” to developers and operators and helping to “maximise the resilience of offshore power assets” as the UK transitions to clean energy.

Using passive electrical sensors, ECG continuously monitors the mechanical and electrical stresses on inter-array cables and terminations, providing real-time fault detection that traditional systems might miss.

It requires no additional power infrastructure, making it efficient and straightforward to deploy across new and existing offshore wind projects.

Paul Cook, Proserv’s vice president of renewables, said: “We are incredibly proud to secure this contract, positioning Proserv as the cable monitoring provider for DEME Offshore across the three phases of the Dogger Bank project, the world’s largest offshore wind farm currently under construction.

“As more offshore wind developments come online, unplanned cable and termination failures are an increasing concern.

“This latest evolution of our breakthrough ECG system offers substantial cost savings benefits to developers and operators, addressing the widespread issue of cable failures, which account for approximately 80 per cent of wind farm-related insurance claims.

“Unlike conventional methods, our solution embeds passive optical electrical sensors directly within terminations, eliminating the need for additional power and telecoms infrastructure at each termination point.

“This enhances efficiency, streamlines data collection, and provides real-time alerts to prevent downtime.”

Alan Evans, senior project manager of Dogger Bank Wind Farm, added: “Availability of assets is critical to the efficient supply of renewable electricity into our decarbonised energy system.

“We’ve been working with DEME and Proserv to pioneer the use of ECG monitoring technology on the first phases of our project, and we look forward to building on this relationship with Dogger Bank C.”

Located 130km off the Yorkshire coast, Dogger Bank will feature 277 turbines – each standing a colossal 260 metres tall - across three phases, generating enough energy to power six million UK homes annually. Proserv’s ECG is already in use at Dogger Bank A and B, as well as Hywind Scotland and Hywind Tampen, with its application at Dogger Bank C further cementing its position as a game-changer in renewable energy operations.

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