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Press Release21 July 2022Siemens EnergyBerlin
Wind power for 1.8 million people: Siemens Energy wins largest grid connection order to date
"The
share of renewable energies in Germany's power supply is set to rise to 80
percent by 2030. Therefore, building new wind power plants is important but
ultimately pointless if the energy does not reach consumers. We also need to
invest in our power grid to supply the country with sustainable energy reliably,"
says Tim Holt, member of the Managing Board at Siemens Energy.
Siemens
Energy's scope of supply consists of two converter platforms at sea and two
associated stations on land. The platforms convert alternating current, as
produced by wind turbines, into direct current. The direct current is then
transferred to a high-voltage direct current transmission cable (HVDC cable)
for transport. A second converter station on land then converts the electricity
back into alternating current. Only in this way can the large amounts of energy
cover the distance of around 215 km (DolWin4) and 280 km (BorWin4) without
significant losses (low-loss). The two connections will be installed in
parallel and are scheduled to begin operating in 2028. BorWin4 would thus even
be connected to the grid one year earlier than originally planned.
Since the transmission grid in the coastal region of Lower Saxony is already heavily utilized by numerous wind farms, the connection points for the links are located far inland. Siemens Energy will build the land converter stations near Amprion's Hanekenfähr substation in Lingen in southern Emsland. The grid hub currently connects the Emsland nuclear power plant to the transmission grid, which is scheduled to be shut down at the end of 2022. DolWin4 and BorWin4 will replace the generation capacity, thus eliminated with 1.8 GW of offshore wind energy.
In
addition to supplying the technology, Siemens Energy will also take over the complete
maintenance of the converter solutions for an initial period of 10 years. All
high-voltage equipment for the two connection systems, such as converter
technology, transformers, and switchgear, will be manufactured by Siemens
Energy in Europe. The Spanish consortium partner Dragados Offshore S.A. (a subsidiary
of the VINCI Group) is responsible for the design, construction, and offshore
installation of the associated platforms. Construction will take place at the
company's yard in Cádiz, Spain.
Nine of
the current 15 HVDC grid connection projects in the German North Sea use
Siemens Energy technology. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom wants to generate
enough green energy through offshore wind by 2030 to supply every household in
the country with electricity. The United Kingdom recently gave the go-ahead for
five more offshore wind farm projects in the largest ever round of contracts
for difference. According to the operators' current plans, four of these
projects will be equipped with grid connection systems from Siemens Energy.
Most recently, Siemens Energy booked the order for the grid connection of the
East Anglia Three offshore wind farm in July. After commissioning, the 1.4GW wind
farm is expected to supply around one million households with green
electricity.
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Siemens Energy is one of the world’s leading energy technology companies. The company works with its customers and partners on energy systems for the future, thus supporting the transition to a more sustainable world. With its portfolio of products, solutions and services, Siemens Energy covers almost the entire energy value chain – from power generation and transmission to storage. The portfolio includes conventional and renewable energy technology, such as gas and steam turbines, hybrid power plants operated with hydrogen, and power generators and transformers. More than 50 percent of the portfolio has already been decarbonized. A majority stake in the listed company Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) makes Siemens Energy a global market leader for renewable energies. An estimated one-sixth of the electricity generated worldwide is based on technologies from Siemens Energy. Siemens Energy employs around 91,000 people worldwide in more than 90 countries and generated revenue of €28.5 billion in fiscal year 2021.