ABB installs world's most powerful offshore converter platform
in the
North Sea
When operational, DolWin2 will integrate 916 megawatts of
clean wind energy into the German grid – enough to power over a million
households
August
10, 2015 + + + ABB, the leading power and automation technology group,
achieved an important project milestone by installing DolWin beta, the
world’s most powerful offshore converter station in the North Sea. The
320-kilovolt converter station, housed on an offshore platform, has a 916
megawatts (MW) power transmission capacity, making it the world's most
powerful installation of its kind, 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 and will connect offshore wind farms in the North Sea’s
DolWin cluster, currently the largest offshore wind farm cluster
worldwide, 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 utilizes 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.
HVDC
is the technology of choice for transmitting large amounts of power, over
long distances, efficiently and reliably through overhead, underground and
sub-sea links with minimum losses. It is ideally suited for the
integration of remotely located renewable energy sources like offshore
wind, desert solar or mountain-based hydropower. It is also being
increasingly deployed to create cross border interconnections – to
strengthen grids and improve the reliability of power supplies. This is a
key focus area in ABB’s Next Level strategy.
ABB has been awarded
about 100 HVDC projects since it pioneered the technology more than 60
years ago. This represents a total installed capacity of more than 120,000
MW and accounts for around half the global installed base. ABB further
developed HVDC in the 1990’s by introducing a voltage sourced converter
(VSC) solution named HVDC Light® and leads the way in this technology,
having delivered 16 out of 22 VSC HVDC projects in commercial operation
around the world.
Source: ABB ( www.abb.com )
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