Amprion, a major grid operator in Germany, has obtained planning permission for the onshore segments of two significant offshore wind grid connections, DolWin4 and BorWin4.
The approval covers substantial portions of the land route for both projects, with the decision for BorWin4 in the Exclusive Economic Zone also being issued. Civil engineering work on land is expected to commence in the first half of 2024.
Eric Zieschang, overall project manager at Amprion, expressed confidence in the progress, stating, “We are at the home stretch of the approval of our first two offshore projects. We move from planning to building and are confident to be able to put BorWin4 into operation a year earlier than planned.”
Originally scheduled for operation in 2029, BorWin4's implementation has been accelerated, with both BorWin4 and DolWin4 expected to enter operation in 2028.
The connections involve export cables passing under the island of Norderney to reach the coastal area of Hilgenriedersiel. From there, they continue as underground cables towards the substation in Lingen (Ems), where they will be connected to the transmission network.
Amprion is linking the BorWin4 offshore grid connection to offshore wind farms in area six of the North Sea, within the exclusive economic zone under the responsibility of the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH).
After approximately a year of proceedings, the BSH awarded planning approval for the approximately 90 km long submarine cable system and the BorWin delta converter platform.
Michael Cieslawski, Amprion project manager, highlighted the long-term effort leading to this milestone, stating, “We have been working toward this goal for many years and maintained intensive exchanges with the authorities.”
Amprion is required to comply with the additional provisions outlined in the plan approval decision. The Lower Saxony State Authority for Road Construction and Transport has granted planning approval for the northern land sections (coast to Emden) and south (Wietmarschen to Lingen) for DolWin4 and BorWin4.
