TenneT, a Dutch-German transmission system operator, has contracted Hitachi Energy and Petrofac to begin preparatory and detailed engineering work at its offshore converter stations as part of its 2 GW Program.
The agreements will ensure the timely delivery of the first two converter stations for TenneT's HVDC offshore wind grid expansion. In June 2022, Hitachi Energy and Petrofac formed a partnership to offer joint grid integration and infrastructure services, utilizing their expertise in HVDC, HVAC, and EPCI solutions for the preparatory work.
Hitachi Energy grid integration business managing director Niklas Persson said: “We are delighted to deepen our long-standing relationship with TenneT and to help integrate 2 gigawatt systems of much-needed emission-free wind power into the European grid, making it more sustainable, flexible and secure.
“We collaborate with TenneT and Petrofac to co-create innovative and scalable solutions that we can rapidly deploy to accelerate the energy transition.”
Petrofac group chief executive Sami Iskander said: “Petrofac is very pleased to be deploying its industry-leading offshore wind EPCI expertise, in collaboration with TenneT and Hitachi Energy, as we kick start the first two projects in the program.”
TenneT stated that the initial stages of their Dutch offshore projects will aid in the transition to clean energy and the decarbonization of power systems.
The 2GW Program, utilizing the company's expertise in offshore grid connections, will also contribute significantly to meeting the goal set by Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Belgium to install 65GW of offshore wind energy by 2030.
Additionally, the project aims to provide Europe with sustainable energy in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly manner. TenneT has already developed 40GW of offshore wind energy in the German and Dutch North Seas, representing a significant portion of the overall goal.
TenneT offshore director Marco Kuijpers said: “The early works agreement with Hitachi Energy and Petrofac is a very important milestone in the execution of our 2GW strategy.
“With this first agreement we reserve production capacity for platforms and HVDC equipment and initiate the detailed engineering process to secure the time schedule for the 2GW projects IJmuiden Ver Alpha (2029) and Nederwiek 1 (2030).
“We expect to award the full framework contracts for the HVDC Platform scope of all the 2030 Road Map projects in the first quarter of 2023, also with the other envisaged partners.”
