European grid operator TenneT says construction has begun on the HelWin2 platform, an offshore grid connection that will transport 690 MW of wind energy from offshore wind farms to the mainland.
The HelWin2 project is being developed jointly by Heerema Fabrication Group and Siemens, the main contractor for the HelWin2 project.
The platform will connect a large wind farm cluster in the German North Sea. It will receive alternating-current electricity from wind farms and convert it into direct-current electricity before transporting it onshore via subsea cables. The 98-meter by 42-meter steel structure of the platform topsides will be more than 27 meters tall and weigh over 10,000 metric tons.
The first offshore wind farm that will be connected to the platform is Amrumbank West. The grid connection runs 45 km across land from the converter station in Buttel to the coast, and extends another 85 km from the landing point in Busum to the offshore converter station.
