German transmission system operator 50Hertz and Neptun Smulders Offshore Renewables have signed a contract to construct offshore converter platforms for the LanWin3 grid connection project in the North Sea.
The contract awarded to Neptun Smulders for the construction of two platforms is valued at approximately €2.5 billion, or $2.87 billion.
In June, 50Hertz awarded a contract for the LanWin6 grid connection system to a consortium comprising Neptun Smulders and Siemens Energy. As with LanWin6, Siemens Energy will supply the high-voltage components for the LanWin3 project.
The project partners will be responsible for the complete turnkey delivery of the facilities. The scope of work includes system engineering, component procurement, construction, onshore and offshore installation, and commissioning.
Key platform components, including the topsides and main buildings, will be manufactured at the shipyard in Warnemünde, Germany. Smulders will construct the steel substructures, known as jackets, at its facility in Vlissingen, the Netherlands.
“With our LanWin3 and LanWin6 projects, we are creating the conditions required for the secure integration of large volumes of offshore wind energy from the North Sea into the German power grid,” said 50Hertz CEO Stefan Kapferer.
LanWin3 is an offshore wind grid connection system designed to transmit electricity to Germany’s power network. Its onshore converter station will be located at the future grid connection point in Mühlenbeck, near Schwerin.
The offshore and onshore converter stations will be connected via the NordOstLink high-voltage direct current transmission line and a multi-terminal hub in Heide, Schleswig-Holstein.
Neptun Smulders Offshore Renewables is a joint venture between the German shipyard Neptun Werft and Belgian steel construction specialist Smulders. Smulders is a subsidiary of the French industrial group Eiffage.
