GE Vernova Inc. and Seatrium Limited announced that their consortium has been awarded a contract by TenneT to deliver a major part of BalWin5, a new 2.2-gigawatt (GW) offshore high-voltage direct current (HVDC) grid connection designed to transmit electricity from offshore wind farms in the German North Sea to the onshore transmission network in Germany. Once operational, BalWin5 is expected to provide enough renewable electricity to power approximately 2.75 million households. BalWin5 is one of TenneT's 2 GW projects.
This new generation of powerful offshore grid connection systems is set to speed up the integration of large-scale offshore wind energy into the German grid, thereby supporting the country's energy transition and climate goals. This contract is the fourth project awarded to the GE Vernova-Seatrium consortium under the five-year Framework Cooperation Agreement with TenneT announced in March 2023. It is also the consortium's first win concerning TenneT's German 2 GW projects.
BalWin5 marks an important step in strengthening Germany's electricity infrastructure and supporting the country's long-term goals for energy security and decarbonization. GE Vernova and Seatrium consortium's scope. As part of the contract, GE Vernova's Electrification Systems business is expected to deliver the onshore and offshore converter stations and the complete HVDC technology, including the advanced control and protection systems that help maintain stable and secure operation across the transmission network.
HVDC links are designed to support the high-capacity, long-distance transmission of offshore wind power, helping to reduce transmission losses and improve overall system performance. Seatrium is responsible for the design and construction of the offshore converter platform and will manage transportation and installation in the German North Sea. Commissioning is planned for 2032.
Today's offshore grid connections are typically much smaller, at around 900 megawatts. Increasing the transmission capacity to 2.2 gigawatts means that the connection can carry more power, making use of the infrastructure more efficiently and reducing the overall cost of bringing offshore wind to shore. By transporting more electricity per system, the cost per megawatt falls and the offshore network becomes more efficient.
TenneT is applying this new standard across several projects through long-term framework agreements, which give suppliers clearer visibility and allow the systems to be delivered faster, more efficiently, and at a lower cost.
