Rentel Offshore Wind Farm Cable Back Online After Four-Month Repair Effort

Approximately four months after a cable failure disrupted operations at the Rentel wind farm, repairs have been successfully completed. The fault, located just below the Rentel transformer platform, necessitated the replacement of a 400-metre section of cable. This new section was connected to the existing cable beneath the seabed.

Despite the disruption, the four connected wind farms continued to generate electricity throughout the repair period. This was made possible by their integration into Elia’s Meshed Offshore Grid (MOG), an offshore high-voltage power hub. To avoid overloading the operational export cables, the electricity output was slightly capped during periods of very high winds.

The repair work, described as highly technical and challenging, was complicated by the fault’s location and adverse weather conditions. Nevertheless, the alternative transmission route via Elia Transmission Belgium’s MOG performed flawlessly, ensuring uninterrupted electricity generation from the wind farms.

Interestingly, despite the cable failure, a new record for offshore and onshore wind energy production was set in the first few months of this year, thanks to the persistently windy weather.

The cause of the cable fault is still under investigation.