50Hertz awards contract for Ostwind 4 offshore grid connection in Germany

UAE-based Drydocks World, in partnership with GE Vernova, has secured a contract to build and install Ostwind 4, a 2 GW offshore wind grid connection in Germany.

Ostwind 4 will connect Baltic Sea offshore wind farms to the national grid using high-voltage direct current (HVDC) technology.

This will mark Germany’s first deployment of a 525 kV HVDC transmission system in the Baltic. Located 30 kilometers northeast of Rügen Island, the project includes the construction of offshore and onshore converter stations and a 110-kilometer DC cable system linking land and sea.

Under the contract awarded by the German transmission system operator (TSO) 50Hertz, Drydocks World will manage the engineering, procurement, construction, and installation of the offshore wind converter stations’ topsides and jacket structures.

The topside, manufactured at the company’s Dubai facility, will integrate advanced equipment designed and fabricated in Europe.

GE Vernova will supply the HVDC technology, including voltage-sourced converters (VSC), transformers, SF6-free gas-insulated switchgear, civil works for the onshore converter station, and grid automation equipment.

Once complete, the platform will be transported and installed in German waters.

“The awarding of the contract to GE Vernova and Drydock World marks the beginning of a new chapter in the use of wind energy in the Baltic Sea. 50Hertz is the first transmission system operator to deploy 2 GW / 525 kV technology in this sea area. This is pioneering work,” said Stefan Kapferer, CEO of 50Hertz Transmission.

“We want to ensure that the entirety of the technically and economically viable offshore wind energy potential in the Baltic Sea is exploited, primarily with the help of direct current technology. To do this, we need to think and act in an even more networked way across national borders. One prerequisite for this is the creation of legal and regulatory conditions that enable wind farms in the waters of other EU states to be connected to the German transmission grid.”

The 525 kV HVDC onshore connections and offshore cable systems will be provided by NKT under a contract signed with 50Hertz in September 2023.