The alliance between Siemens Energy and Spanish Dragados Offshore – a subsidiary of French Vinci – became the goose that laid the golden egg. The two companies have signed a framework agreement with TenneT, a German-Dutch transmission system operator, to supply high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission technology for three network links in the German North Sea. The projects made available under the agreement will allow a total of 6 GW of offshore wind energy to be transported onshore. The contract value for the consortium Siemens Energy and Dragados Offshore is close to 7,000 million euros and thus adds another contract signed by the two companies earlier in the year for another 4,000 million for Amprion Offshore with two other conversion stations.

“In the global race against climate change, the expansion of the electricity grid must be able to keep pace with accelerated expansion targets for renewable energy. Streamlined contract processes, large-scale tenders and standardization of solutions show how grid operators and manufacturers have collaborated to get green power to consumers faster,” said Tim Holt, Member of the Executive Board of Siemens Energy.

The three grid connections, named BalWin3, LanWin2 and LanWin4, will transport electricity from wind farms in the German North Sea to a grid connection point in northern Germany.

Each system has a transmission capacity of 2 GW. Siemens Energy will manufacture key electrical components, such as switchgear, transformers and converter technology, at its factories in Europe. The Spanish consortium partner, Dragados Offshore, will be responsible for the offshore construction and installation of the rigs.

The construction of these converter rigs, each weighing approximately 34,000 tonnes, will generate over 2,000 jobs per rig, providing a workload through 2031.

Siemens Energy has won a significant order for the connection of a wind farm in the German North Sea by the end of 2022.

With these three new projects, the company currently manages 11 HVDC network connection projects worldwide to connect wind farms in Germany, the UK and the US after completing five projects in the German North Sea. After 11 ongoing projects have been commissioned, Siemens Energy’s HVDC technology will inject more than 19 GW of wind power into high-voltage grids worldwide.