Taking Power Distribution Under the Sea: Design, Manufacture, and Assembly of a Subsea Electrical Distribution System

Recently, the offshore industry has seen a clear trend for production facilities to be installed on the seabed. The total electrical load will be up to the 100-MW range, and thus, high-voltage (HV) power distribution is required. Such a system is particularly beneficial in challenging environments, such as the deep sea and the Arctic, providing an efficient and economical subsea-to-beach solution that eliminates the need for a floating production unit. There are several advantages to installing process equipment close to the source of the product. Currently each item of process equipment is individually powered from the surface, which is reliable but very costly. Placing the electrical distribution system on the seabed drastically reduces the cost of the power supply and can be done without any reduction in reliability. Thus, the electrical power distribution will be located near the load center, which is a common practice for onshore designs.