The BorWin5 offshore converter platform has left Dragados Offshore’s fabrication yard in Puerto Real, Spain, and is en route to its installation site in the German North Sea, project developer Dragados said on Monday.
The high-voltage direct current (HVDC) platform, which includes both the topside and jacket, will make an interim stop at the port of Rotterdam. There, its components will be transferred from the transport barge Iron Lady to the Pioneering Spirit, an installation vessel operated by Allseas.
“The topside and jacket will be installed by one of the world’s largest and most advanced installation vessels, ensuring safe and efficient delivery to the final offshore site,” Dragados said in a statement.
Once transferred, the Pioneering Spirit will carry the structure to its designated location in the North Sea, where offshore hook-up, cable connections, and commissioning will be performed ahead of the handover to the transmission system operator TenneT.
Dragados Offshore is overseeing the full scope of design, supply, construction, transport, and installation of the platform’s infrastructure. Siemens Energy, the project’s partner, is supplying the HVDC equipment and is responsible for developing the onshore converter station.
With a transmission capacity of 900 megawatts, the BorWin5 platform weighs around 12,000 tonnes and is expected to be fully commissioned by the end of 2025. The transport phase is projected to take approximately two weeks, followed by an additional two weeks for offshore installation.
