German-Dutch transmission grid operator TenneT has awarded a contract to Siemens for an offshore wind farm grid connection in the North Sea.
As part of the contract, Siemens will provide high-voltage direct current (HVDC) technology for the BorWin3 grid connection, while the consortium partner Petrofac will engage in the construction and offshore installation of the project’s platform.
The 900MW grid connection, which is scheduled to begin commercial operation in 2019, is the fifth order for Siemens from TenneT.
The 160km long grid connection will connect various wind farms to the mainland, and the 155kV alternating current supplied by the wind power plants will be converted into 320kV direct current on the BorWin3 offshore platform.
Siemens will supply the entire high-voltage equipment of the grid access system, in addition to building the complete HVDC converter station on land.
In addition, the company will provide two power transformers per station at a rating of about 670 MVA and the entire air and gas insulated high-voltage switchgear equipment required for the project.
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By GlobalDataSiemens Energy power transmission division CEO Karlheinz Springer said that BorWin3 will supply nearly one million German households with clean electricity from wind power.
"We can now fully apply our broad experience gained in our first four pioneer projects in the North Sea to this project," Springer added.
Siemen was also involved in other four North Sea grid connection projects of TenneT, which include 576MW HelWin1, 690MW HelWin2, 800MW BorWin2 and 864MW SylWin1.
Image: TenneT is using HVDC technology to transport the electricity from the wind farms over long distances onto land. Photo: Courtesy of Siemens AG.
