HSM Offshore Energy has completed and dispatched the offshore substation for the 1.1-gigawatt (GW) Thor wind farm, Denmark’s largest offshore wind project to date, the company said on Wednesday.
The substation, along with its jacket foundation, has left HSM’s Schiedam yard and is en route to its installation site approximately 22 kilometres off the west coast of Jutland.
Thor is a joint venture between RWE, which owns a 51% stake, and Norges Bank Investment Management, holding 49%. The wind farm is expected to begin operations in 2027 and supply clean electricity to more than one million Danish households.
HSM Offshore Energy was awarded the full engineering, procurement, construction, installation, and commissioning (EPCIC) contract in 2022, which includes delivery of both the topside and jacket foundation.
The topside structure measures 39 by 36 by 18 metres and weighs 2,600 tonnes, while the jacket foundation is 40 by 40 by 50 metres and weighs 2,500 tonnes. HSM highlighted the Thor offshore high voltage substation’s (OHVS) industry-leading power-to-weight ratio, noting its compact design reduces material use and installation costs.
“Delivering the THOR substation from first steel to sail-away has been a highly rewarding and technically complex journey,” said Koen Moons, project manager at HSM Offshore Energy. “This achievement reflects the deep dedication, expertise, and teamwork across all disciplines, partners and subcontractors.”
Günther Fenle, project director for Thor at RWE, said: “The sail-away of the fully assembled substation is an important step for us in the project team. We are looking forward to the installation at sea later this summer and the commissioning of the systems thereafter.”
The Thor substation will collect and convert power from 72 wind turbines before transmitting it to the onshore grid connection point at Volder Søndervang.
