SEMC (Subsea Electrical & Mooring Connection)

Overview

The SEMC project (Subsea Electrical & Mooring Connection) will assess the feasibility of a submarine connector, composed of a watertight device capable of housing the electrical terminals necessary to carry out an electrical connection (including, optionally, optical fibres) between an underwater electrical cable and a floating structure, e.g. a WEC, and furthermore having the function of mooring the device to the seabed through the mooring line(s).

The connector is capable of withstanding the typical loads of a WEC mooring system. It  is based on a double clamp hang-off and cover system that will avoid the electrical terminals, harboured inside the connector, coming into contact with the marine environment at any time . Consequently, these terminals will be those usually used in the terrestrial industry, and thus lower cost than the marinised connectors which might normally be employed in this application.

This project presents a series of innovations around the connection/disconnection system, such as a lower requirement for specialised mooring installation vessel and personnel, and shorter time requirements for the whole installation operation. Consequently, shorter weather windows are needed, resulting in lower costs and a more viable O&M strategy.

Stage 1 of the project focused on the technical description of the concept, with a review of the current developed solutions for electrical and mechanical connections, and an assessment of risks associated with the design, development and implementation of the system.