Convertor platform go-ahead

The ‘BorWin3’ platform will transmit electricity from the connected offshore wind farms to the mainland of Germany. Scheduled to go online in 2019, the platform will be installed nearly 100km off the German coast in the North Sea, at a water depth of approximately 40m. The Dutch-German transmission system operator TenneT ordered the HVDC link ‘BorWin3’ from a consortium comprising Petrofac and Siemens. The link will transmit approximately 900 MW of wind power, which is roughly equal to the annual electricity consumption of one million German households. Siemens will supply the complete HVDC converter technology for efficient direct-current transmission.

Sustainable energy generation is typically not located close to the area of consumption and this fact makes transmission of the power almost as essential as the generation. HVDC technology provides the advantages of efficient long distance transmission, with the ability to transfer more power.

His Excellency Khamis Juma Buamim, Chairman of Drydocks World and Maritime World stated, “The strong industry reputation and capabilities of Drydocks World have been instrumental in reinforcing our position among global energy conglomerates. The ‘BorWin3’ HVDC platform is a key stepping-stone into furthering our business in the renewables industry. We as an organisation regard sustainable energy to be imperative in hindering the adverse effects of pollution on our world. We are keen to demonstrate how multifunctional our organisation is, continually transforming our business to meet the needs of the future. Drydocks World has built many first of its kind global mega projects, positioning us as an efficient and experienced yard of choice. Our highly specialised units are extremely capable of delivering this ground-breaking project, and we look forward to achieving further success with BorWin3.”

This marks a significant achievement for Drydocks World in embarking on a crucial milestone for the German grid connection projects. Drydocks World has previously completed numerous environmentally friendly projects such as the pioneering DolWin beta HVDC offshore platform within the project DolWin2, a, positioning Drydocks World in the top league of shipyards capable of constructing such mega offshore structures. The DolWin beta was an engineering marvel of gargantuan proportions which took tremendous efforts to construct, and established the credentials of Drydocks World as a reliable service provider to this sector. In addition, Drydocks World has completed several other environmentally sustainable projects such as the Polarcus Seismic vessels, Modular Capture Vessels, and a Subsea Storage Tank for Premier Oil.

By Jake Frith