50Hertz completes Baltic Eagle cable pull-in

50Hertz has completed the pull-in of two 220 kV subsea cable systems into Iberdrola’s Baltic Eagle platform.

The two 220 kV subsea cable systems were previously laid on the seabed in a safe area next to the destination of the substation platform.

In February of this year, the substation platform was installed at its intended destination northeast of the island of Rügen. The installation work was completed by Heerema Marine Contractors’ semi-submersible crane vessel (SSCV) Thialf.

Currently, the assembly work for the connection to the 50Hertz transmission grid is taking place which will be followed by extensive testing of the systems.

If the tests are positive, 50Hertz will be ready to connect the Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm to the high-voltage grid at the Lubmin substation.

Up to 72 people were busy offshore on site preparing and carrying out the work for the pull-in. The cable pull-in took about 2.5 days per subsea cable segment, the German offshore transmission system operator (TSO) said.

At a water depth of about 40 metres, the subsea cable was pulled into the substation platform using a winch and another protective tube in the J-tube (cable support), among other things.

Ostwind 2 is the project that will connect the Baltic Sea wind farms, Arcadis Ost 1 and Baltic Eagle, to the German high-voltage grid.

To transfer the renewable electricity from the two offshore wind farms, 50Hertz is building three subsea cable systems that will transmit a total of 750 MW of power.

Arcadis Ost 1 offshore wind farm, developed by Parkwind, is located in the West Arkona Sea cluster. The Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm is located northeast of the Rügen island off the Pomeranian coast.

The 476 MW wind farm is expected to be fully commissioned in 2024.