April 6, 2010 – ABB won an order worth $110 million from Eni Norway AS, to build a power link between a new oil and gas platform in the Barents Sea and the Norwegian power grid. The order was booked in the first quarter. The Goliat platform will be partly electrified by a 106 km subsea power cable, which can lower Goliat's carbon dioxide emissions up to 50 percent by reducing the need for electricity produced by the platform’s gas turbines. “The cable link will deliver reliable power supplies from the mainland and help reduce the platform's environmental impact,” said Peter Leupp, head of ABB’s Power Systems division.
"This order demonstrates ABB's ability to provide innovative power delivery systems and confirms our market leadership in subsea, high-voltage cable technology." The 123kV (kilovolt) 75MW (megawatt) XLPE insulated cable is the longest, most powerful cable ever delivered for an offshore application. It will supply AC (alternating current) power from the mainland grid in Norway to Goliat, a floating oil and gas production, storage and offloading unit. The cable integrates fiber optics to monitor temperature and provide general communication services, and includes a 1.5 km dynamic section to accommodate the movement of the floating platform.
The project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2013, when Goliat is due to begin operations. ABB’s high-voltage three-core polymeric insulated (XLPE) subsea cables have low electrical losses, are resistant to solvents, oil and abrasions and have an excellent tensile strength. They are ideal in harsh marine environments. ABB has delivered around 3,000 km of polymeric (oil-free) insulated AC and DC (direct current) subsea cable to projects around the world. This includes power links to oil and gas platforms in the Persian Gulf and the North Sea.
ABB is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 117,000 people.