The world’s largest and most advanced power cable-laying vessel begans its operations on the $3.8 billion project by Adnoc and Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC (Taqa) to power and significantly decarbonise Adnoc’s offshore production operation, said the UAE state news agency WAM.
The project is a platform to see the development and operation of a first-of-its-kind high-voltage, direct current (HVDC) subsea transmission system in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region.
It will power Adnoc’s offshore production operations with cleaner and more efficient energy, delivered through the Abu Dhabi onshore power grid, operated by Taqa’s wholly owned subsidiary, Abu Dhabi Transmission and Despatch Company (Transco), WAM added.
The cable-laying vessel, the Leonardo da Vinci, owned by the Prysmian Group, has arrived in the UAE from Europe for an initial four-month period.
The project was initially announced in December 2021, currently funded through a special purpose vehicle (SPV) – a dedicated company jointly owned by Adnoc and Taqa (30 per cent stake each), and a consortium comprised of Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), Japan’s Kyushu Electric Power Co. and Électricité de France (EDF). Led by KEPCO, the consortium holds a combined 40 % stake in the project on a build, own, operate and transfer basis.
