The roar of wind turbines far offshore captures headlines, but beneath the surface a different story unfolds. Along seabeds spanning turbulent waters, an unheralded specialist ensures that each megawatt generated makes its way to shore unimpeded. This quiet sentinel, operating out of Darlington in the UK, has honed its craft over decades, turning what was once a vulnerability into a source of strategic strength for the burgeoning offshore wind industry.
From humble beginnings in the 1980s supplying equipment to the broader offshore energy sector, the company has steadily carved out a niche as the go-to partner for subsea cable protection. Early orders focused on simple protective ducts and hang-off clamps, but as wind developers began venturing into deeper waters and larger arrays, their requirements evolved. What began as ad-hoc component deliveries has transformed into fully integrated engineering solutions, underpinned by successive generations of bespoke cable protection systems.
Today, more than ten thousand of these systems lie in dark trenches beneath the Atlantic, North Sea and Pacific, safeguarding some forty gigawatts of installed capacity. That scale alone speaks volumes: by comparison, a modern nuclear reactor station typically generates around one gigawatt. Each deployment represents not just a piece of hardware but a carefully engineered bulwark against strong currents, seabed obstructions and marine traffic – factors that, unchecked, could jeopardise years of development and installation effort.
This track record has translated into a leadership position in the market. Over ninety offshore wind projects across Europe, Asia and North America have turned to this provider for reliable subsea infrastructure, entrusting the firm with cables that, in aggregate, stretch for thousands of kilometres. Its latest Generation 10 protection system, unveiled in recent years, underscores a continual innovation ethos: lighter but stronger, easier to install yet more robust in testing, it embodies lessons gleaned from each previous deployment.
The commercial impact is tangible. In late 2024, the company secured its largest single award to date – a US offshore wind farm contract valued at over six million US dollars – underlining its growing footprint beyond European waters. Simultaneously, a five-million-pound contract in the UK reinforces domestic leadership, with both projects scheduled for delivery through 2025. These wins reflect more than the strength of an individual bid; they mark the culmination of two decades of refining design, manufacturing and logistics to meet the exacting demands of global developers.
Behind the scenes, strategic partnerships and industry recognitions have bolstered this trajectory. A recent memorandum of understanding with a leading buoyancy specialist opened the door to floating wind ventures, while collaboration with supply-chain bodies has driven leadership and operational improvements within the firm itself. Nearly eighty per cent of its output now heads overseas, testament to a business transformation that emphasised exports, streamlined governance and sharpened customer focus.
Looking ahead, the alignment between rising offshore capacity and critical subsea infrastructure requirements bodes well. Governments from the United States to Japan are targeting tens of gigawatts of new wind farms by 2030, all of which will require resilient cable networks. Meanwhile, the march towards deeper waters and larger turbines will only amplify environmental stresses on subsea cables – meaning that robust protection solutions will remain indispensable.
For investors, the appeal lies in this combination of defensive necessity and technological edge. Unlike turbine components that may face fierce price competition, high-specification subsea protection is a specialised engineering discipline with significant barriers to entry. Continuous investment in research, coupled with proven field experience, creates a moat around incumbents. Moreover, long-term service agreements and repeat orders offer revenue visibility extending over multiple installation campaigns.
Of course, execution risks persist: supply-chain disruptions, raw material cost inflation and the challenge of scaling manufacturing to meet a wave of global demand will test any provider. Yet the company’s track record suggests a capacity to adapt, whether through modular production facilities or strategic acquisitions, and its relationships with tier-one installers mitigate many execution uncertainties.
As offshore wind evolves from nascent arrays to utility-scale farms supplying renewable power at grid-parity prices, the vital yet unseen role of cable protection becomes ever more critical. In these hidden guardians lies an investment case grounded in essential infrastructure, demonstrable innovation, and a market position that has been years in the making.
Tekmar Energy designs, engineers and manufactures bespoke cable protection systems and associated ancillaries that safeguard subsea power cables in offshore wind farms, ensuring consistent transmission from sea to shore for global renewable energy projects.
Tekmar Group plc (LON:TGP) vision is to be the leading provider of technology and services to the global offshore energy markets. The Group’s three primary operating companies are RYDER, Tekmar Energy and Pipeshield International.
