This project covers four new grid connections in the German North Sea, for linking offshore windfarms that are planned or under construction in the clusters BorWin2, DolWin1, HelWin1 and SylWin 1, each within 36 months, to the German EHV system. Each connection project consists of an offshore converter platform with cables to switchgear and transformer platforms at the windfarms, and DC cable links up to 320 kV and 200 km long to the landing station for tie-in to the German HV or EHV grid.

Fichtner acted as Owner’s Engineer throughout the construction and commissioning of the plant including:

• full time site attendance;
• CDM advisory;
• electrical engineering design services including the site substation.

The TenneT project is the world’s largest offshore grid connection, and will will provide about five million households with electricity generated from wind power via the five links. Thanks to the use of high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) transmission technology, the losses over those links are less than four percent. The costs for connecting the clusters to the German EHV grid are estimated at €2.4bn.