PUERTO REAL, Spain – Amprion Offshore has commissioned a consortium of Dragados Offshore and Siemens Energy to construct the HVDC converter platforms for an offshore wind development in the German North Sea The LanWin1 and LanWin3 HVDC grid connection projects are the first 2-GW bi-pole converter systems awarded as part of an electrical energy generation system in the area (Amprion is the transmission system operator) The wind farms will be connected to both offshore stations via 66-kV AC direct connection systems converting the power to 525 kV DC voltage for transmission to shore The LanWin1 and LanWin3 onshore HVDC converters will be located at the Wehrendorf and Westerkappeln grid connection points where they are connected to the 380-kV links (yet to be built) for the AC transmission grid Dragados Offshore is responsible for providing the offshore platforms its scope including detail design and engineering installation and hook-up of both platforms and installation and commissioning of their associated systems these will be the world’s first 2-GW HVDC converter station platforms The topsides will each weigh about 24,000 t Siemens Energy’s responsibilities cover the HVDC systems and the onshore converter stations LanWin1 and LanWin3 should start commercial operation at the end of 2029 and 2030 Dragado’s current HVDC project portfolio includes the DolWin6 platform, which is in the offshore completion phase; the BorWin5 platform under construction in Puerto Real Spain (both for TenneT); and the DolWin4 and BorWin4 platforms Amprion Offshore said it renamed the two offshore grid connection systems LanWin1 and LanWin3 The reason for this is a change in the wind farm areas in the North Sea the projects will be managed under the names BalWin1 and BalWin2 The company also said they are to be completed two or three years earlier than initially planned Amprion Offshore has reported that it plans to complete LanWin1 and LanWin3 the two offshore grid connection systems in Germany two and three years earlier than initially planned the company announced that it will rename the offshore converter platforms to BalWin1 and BalWin2 to indicate a change in the wind farm areas to be connected in the North Sea The recently published development plan of the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency envisages putting BalWin1 (formerly LanWin1) into operation as early as 2029 instead of 2031 and BalWin2 (formerly LanWin3) as early as 2030 instead of 2033 “The new schedule for our projects is now even more ambitious than before,” said Christoph Evers The area development plan now provides for a change in the wind farm areas to be connected from 11-1 and 12-1 The two planned offshore grid connection systems BalWin1 and BalWin2 will connect wind farms in the North Sea to the onshore transmission grid in Wehrendorf (BalWin1) and Westerkappeln (BalWin2) With transmission and transport capacity of 2 GW each these converter platforms will be able to power a major city of four million people from offshore wind energy Amprion recently awarded Siemens Energy and Dragados Offshore a EUR 4 billion contract to build converter stations for the two offshore grid connection systems the systems are designed to be integrated into multi-terminal systems in the future Instead of pure point-to-point connections several direct current connections could converge in one station Daily news and in-depth stories in your inbox renewable energy is key to the future of our planet we have over 60 years’ experience and an in-depth understanding of the power and temperature control needs of wind farms We have a dedicated Wind Energy Team whose innovative strategies […]