Background

Whilst the volume of underground power cable has been growing steadily, the voltage level of the power cables has also increased significantly in recent years. The rising volume of high voltage power cables brings about technical challenges to network and site developers, operators, and maintenance technicians.

Due to the rise in faults in underground cabling systems and the associated unplanned outages, the Electricity Supply Industry (ESI) called on Thomson Bridge and NKT to educate the owners, developers and operators of high voltage networks on what conditions and workmanship are necessary in underground cable systems to ensure quality and longevity.

The Thomson Bridge and NKT partnership has delivered the Cable Jointing Awareness program for Vestas to develop and maintain the knowledge level of their management personnel and electrical cable jointers to meet manufacturers requirements and expectations for power cable accessory installations.

Vestas manages a portfolio of wind farms assets across Australia and New Zealand. Many are operational and several are at varying stages of construction and commissioning.

Our role

A partnership with Thomson Bridge and NKT has designed the Cable Jointing Awareness program which will contribute to the understanding of the requirements that lead to quality outcomes in cable jointing and the consequences of poor workmanship and cable jointing failure. 

The one day program with a mix of theory, practical demonstrations and case studies, is delivered by presenters who are highly experienced and regarded practitioners with decades of experience to industry participants including engineers, project managers and site supervisors across renewable generation and other infrastructure sectors.

The collaboration with Thomson Bridge’s capability of specialist Subject Matter Experts, digital and modern approach to training is drawing on NKT’s practical infrastructure project experience across the world.

The program uses the combined experience of worlds bests practice to deliver a higher level of awareness of what conditions and workmanship are necessary to ensure quality and longevity in cable systems, including:

• Understanding the components and basic theory of underground cable systems and power cable accessories.
• Ensuring quality outcomes
• Achieving quality workmanship on cable systems
• Conducting a high standard site preparation, management and planning
• Ensuring that cable jointers understand the inheritance of quality work as relevant to the chain of people who are involved in this process
• Achieving high quality cable jointing and terminations to the power source
• Understanding the prevention of faults before they happen and rectifying faults when they occur.

Project Details

• Client: Vestas Australia
• Location: Australia wide
• Industry: Renewable Energy
• Our role: Developed the knowledge level of Vestas personnel in cable systems to meet manufacturers requirements and expectations for power cable accessory installations.
• Outcome: Our partnership with global cable solutions leader, NKT, delivers Cable Jointing Awareness programs to educate the ESI industry on the factors that lead to quality outcomes in cable jointing and the consequences of poor workmanship and cable jointing failure. 
• Our Course: Introduction to Cable Jointing Practices. Visit Course Details
• Resource: NKT is a global provider of power cable solutions headquartered in Denmark. Learn more.