Germany, North Sea: Siemens Energy and Neptun Smulders Offshore Renewables have secured a contract to deliver a new offshore grid connection system for 50Hertz in the North Sea.
The project, known as North Sea Connector 2, will allow up to 2 GW of offshore wind power to be transmitted from sea to shore. The offshore converter platform will be fabricated by NSORe, a joint venture between Neptun Werft, part of the German Meyer Werft Group, and Belgian construction company Smulders.
Most of the platform work will take place at the Neptun Werft shipyard in Rostock-Warnemünde. Siemens Energy will equip the platform with electrical transmission technology, largely produced at its German factories. The company has also received a long-term service contract covering maintenance, IT services and on-call support.
Around 95% of Siemens Energy’s scope for the project will be delivered in Germany. Transformers and converters will come from Nuremberg, while SF₆-free gas-insulated switchgear will be supplied from Berlin. Siemens Energy is investing several hundred million euros in expanding these sites to meet rising demand for energy transition technologies.
The platform will convert alternating current generated by offshore wind turbines into direct current for transmission through subsea cables. At an onshore converter station, the power will be converted back into alternating current and fed into the grid.
The topside will be built in Rostock-Warnemünde and later fitted with Siemens Energy’s transmission technology. Smulders will manufacture the jacket foundation in the Netherlands. The platform will be installed about 200 km west of Sylt in the North Sea.
Source: Siemens Energy
