DRAMMEN, Norway, June 3, 2010 /PRNewswire/ --
Draka Offshore announced today The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) has selected Draka as their subsea power cable provider with the recent purchase of cables and accessories. Draka's subsea power cables are now being produced from their newly expanded production facility in Drammen, Norway.
"The selection of Draka for providing subsea power cables further validates the quality and performance of our products in extreme under-water conditions," stated Martin Dale, commercial director for subsea for Draka Offshore. "Our subsea cables have delivered outstanding performance in oil and gas which has helped us quickly gain status as a reliable supplier in the offshore renewable energy field."
The contract requires Draka to deliver approximately 11,000 meters of 20kV subsea power cable for use in EMEC's tidal and wave energy test sites in Orkney. Draka will also provide a range of accessories, and direct load out to a vessel from its Drammen factory.
Wave Global Power Potential Up To 10,000GW
As the first of its kind, EMEC provides test facilities for a wide range of technologies that can tap into the huge potential of wave and tidal renewable energy. Wave power alone has an estimated global potential of approximately 1,000-10,000 GW - in the same order of magnitude as the world's electricity consumption, according to the World Offshore Renewable Energy Report 2004-2008 published by UK Renewables.
Located in the Orkney Islands of Northern Scotland, the wave and tidal sites are designed to test a range of machines located down to a depth of 50 meters and up to two kilometers from shore.
"Wave and tidal energy is a very powerful source of renewable energy and a very challenging environment for equipment and systems,'' stated Stuart Baird, EMEC Operations Director. "We need vendors like Draka who can deliver quality products and services that can stand up to the elements over time."
The cables will be used to extend the EMEC test sites to create three new grid-connected berths, two at the tidal test site and another at the wave test site.
About Draka Offshore:
Draka Offshore is a full service, engineering leader that delivers complete and highly valued cabling solutions to the offshore wind, oil and gas and subsea markets. Draka has 11 production facilities and distribution in all major oil and gas markets. The division has more than 100 products available that meet the strict SATS, IEEE, IEC and NEK industry standards, abide by LRS, ABS, DNV, BV & GL rules and comply with U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard regulations that govern the use of wire and cables. Draka Offshore is a part of the Industry and Specialty Group of Draka Holding N.V. For more information about Draka Offshore please visit www.DrakaOffshore.com.
About Draka Holding N.V.:
Draka Holding N.V. (Draka) is the holding company of a number of operating companies that are active worldwide in the development, production and sale of cable and cable systems. Draka's activities are divided into three groups: Energy & Infrastructure, Industry & Specialty and Communications. Within these three groups, the activities are organized into divisions. Energy & Infrastructure consists of the Europe and Asia-Pacific divisions; Industry & Specialty consists of the Automotive & Aviation, Elevator Products, Cableteq USA, Industrial and Offshore divisions and the Communications Group is comprised of the Telecom Solutions, Multimedia and Specials, Americas and Optical Fiber divisions.
Headquartered in Amsterdam, Draka Holding N.V. has 68 operating companies in 31 countries throughout Europe, North and South America, Asia and Australia. Worldwide, the Draka companies employ approximately 9,600 people. In 2009, Draka reported revenue of euro 2.0 billion and net income of euro 48.3 million (excluding non-recurring items).
Draka Holding N.V. ordinary shares and subordinated convertible bonds are listed on NYSE Euronext Amsterdam. The company has been included in the Next150 index since 2001 and the AMX index (Amsterdam Midkap index) since March 4, 2008. Options on Draka shares are also traded on the NYSE Euronext Amsterdam Derivative Markets. Visit Draka Holding N.V. at www.Draka.com for more information.
About European Marine Energy Center:
EMEC is at the forefront of the development of marine-based renewables - technologies that generate electricity for homes and businesses by harnessing the power of waves and tidal streams. As the first centre of its kind to be created anywhere in the world, EMEC offers developers the opportunity to test full scale grid connected prototype devices in unrivalled wave and tidal conditions. For more information about the centre visit http://www.emec.org.uk.
Mike O'Brien, Director of Global Marketing of Draka Offshore, +1-952-212-3380, Mike.Obrien@Draka.com
