A MARINE engineer is supporting a major offshore energy development.

Tekmar Energy says its TekLink cable protection system is being installed on the Gemini project, in the Dutch North Sea.

The equipment will shelter cables carrying power from Gemini, which bosses say includes two wind parks and 150 turbines, making it the largest of its kind in the Netherlands and one of the biggest globally.

The protection was tested at Tekmar’s plant, in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, and the company says installation is under way after it built and delivered the systems ahead of schedule to Dutch contractor Van Oord.

Jack Simpson, Tekmar’s offshore wind senior manager, said: “Gemini is a significant project.

“It represents the fourth project we have worked on with Van Oord and it is the first to install our sixth generation TekLink.”

Last week, Tekmar, which employs about 90 workers, revealed another new product was being used in the Netherlands, with its TekTube system installed to protect cables carrying power from the Westermeerwind project.

The company's offshore successes also include previous agreements to send cable protection for the 43-turbine Eneco Luchterduinen wind farm, off the Netherlands’ coast, and work on the Anholt project in the Kattegat Sea, between Denmark and Sweden.