The Dutch-German power transmission system operator (TSO) TenneT has selected a consortium of Siemens Energy and Dragados Offshore to supply high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission technology for its remaining three 2 GW grid connections projects in the German North Sea. The grid connections, namely BalWin3, LanWin2, and LanWin4, include switchgears, transformers and converter technologies and will enable to transport power generation from offshore wind parks in the North Sea to Germany.
This €7bn award complements the recent award (March 2023) of 11 to 14 converter systems of 2 GW each (8 in the Netherlands and 3 in Germany) to the consortiums of Hitachi Energy-Petrofac, GE/SMOP and GE/McDermott. All the 14 grid connection projects are expected to be operational by 2031.
TenneT should account for almost two-thirds (40 GW) of the 65 GW offshore wind energy target by 2030 agreed by Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Belgium in the Esbjerg Declaration of May 2022.