ABB achieved an important project milestone,
the installation of the DolWin
beta. The 320-kilovolt converter
station, housed on an offshore platform, has a 916 megawatts (MW) power
transmission capacity, enough to power more than 1,000,000 households with
clean energy.
The offshore converter station is part of
the DolWin2 project which will be operated by transmission system operator
TenneT. This transmission system will connect offshore wind farms in the
North Sea’s DolWin cluster with the German grid. The main function of
the station will be to convert the electricity generated by the offshore
wind farms from alternating current (AC) into high-voltage direct current
(HVDC) for efficient and reliable transmission to the mainland.
“After the successful handover of the
DolWin1 link in July, this is another key milestone in the execution of
our offshore wind projects,” said ABB CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer. “It
is a further example of our focus on relentless execution and of the ongoing
progress in the Power Systems division’s Step Change program.”
DolWin2
is part of Germany’s energy transition roadmap, called “Energiewende”,
which foresees the generation of more than 6.5 gigawatts (GW) from offshore
wind by 2020 and 15 GW by 2030. The DolWin1 grid connection, which ABB
commissioned and handed over to transmission system operator TenneT at
the end of July 2015, also contributes to this goal.
The complete platform including substructure
weighs around 23,000 tons and is around 100 meters long, 70 meters wide
and 100 meters tall. It was transported last year from Dubai, where it
was built, to Aibel’s shipyard in Norway. Here, the platform was outfitted
and one week ago sailed away to arrive after a short transportation phase
of four days at its final destination in the DolWin cluster, 45 kilometers
off the German coast. DolWin beta utilises an innovative self-installing
gravity based structure (GBS) concept, whereby the platform is slowly ballasted
down to the seabed by filling the six columns with water, which will in
the coming weeks be completely replaced by gravel to permanently secure
the platform.
“Putting such a huge platform in place
is one of the most delicate operations in the delivery of an offshore power
link, requiring intensive pre-planning and cooperation between the stakeholders
involved and we are pleased that this important project landmark has gone
smoothly,” said Claudio Facchin, President, ABB Power Systems division.
ABB was awarded the turnkey responsibility
for the design, engineering, supply and installation of the offshore wind
connection by TenneT, a leading European transmission system operator.
The project scope includes the offshore converter station, the sea and
land cable systems, and the onshore converter station.
When operational, DolWin2
will integrate 916 megawatts of clean wind energy into the German grid
– enough to power over a million households.
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