Released August 08, 2011 | JOHANNESBURG
en
Written by Richard Finlayson, Senior International Editor for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Dutch-German transmission grid operator TenneT (Arnhem, Netherlands) has awarded a $1 billion contract to ABB Limited (NYSE:ABB) (Zurich, Switzerland) to supply a power link connecting offshore North Sea windfarms to the German mainland grid. This is the largest power transmission order in ABB's history.
The scope of the project covers the installation of the world's largest high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) system, which will have a rating of 900 megawatts (MW), keeping electrical losses to less than 1% per converter station. ABB's HVDC light transmission technology offers environmental benefits such as neutral electromagnetic fields and compact converter stations.
The technology is well suited for the connection of remote offshore windfarms to mainland networks and overcoming distance limitations and grid constraints. At the same time, it ensures minimal electrical losses and efficient performance. The 320-kilovolt (kV) cable voltage capacity in this latest system is the highest level used for HVDC transmission with extruded cables.
ABB will design, engineer, supply and install the offshore platform, the offshore and onshore converter stations, and the land and sea cable systems. The HVDC light transmission technology will transport power from the 400-MW Gode Wind II and other windfarms to an offshore HVDC converter station, which will transmit the electricity to the onshore converter station at Dorpen on the German coast via 135 kilometers of underwater and underground cables.
A converter station will then feed electrical power into the mainland grid. The completed link will be capable of supplying more than 1.5 million households with clean, wind generated electricity.
Peter Leupp, head of ABB's power systems division said that offshore wind power was emerging as a major source of large-scale renewable energy in Europe to help meet emission targets and lower environmental impacts. "AAB is uniquely positioned with in-house manufacturing capability of converter stations, cables and semiconductors, the essential components of HVDC systems, and has invested significantly in these technologies," he said.
The offshore network is schedule to be operational in 2015 and will contribute to the avoidance of more than 3 million tons of CO2 emissions per year by replacing fossil fuel generation. Germany's current installed wind power capacity of more than 27,000 MW represents about 8% of the country's total power requirements. There are plans to double the installed capacity by 2020. This is the third offshore wind connection contract for ABB in Germany, following the 800-MW Dolwin I link awarded in 2010 and the previous BorWin I project.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. IIR's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.
The scope of the project covers the installation of the world's largest high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) system, which will have a rating of 900 megawatts (MW), keeping electrical losses to less than 1% per converter station. ABB's HVDC light transmission technology offers environmental benefits such as neutral electromagnetic fields and compact converter stations.
The technology is well suited for the connection of remote offshore windfarms to mainland networks and overcoming distance limitations and grid constraints. At the same time, it ensures minimal electrical losses and efficient performance. The 320-kilovolt (kV) cable voltage capacity in this latest system is the highest level used for HVDC transmission with extruded cables.
ABB will design, engineer, supply and install the offshore platform, the offshore and onshore converter stations, and the land and sea cable systems. The HVDC light transmission technology will transport power from the 400-MW Gode Wind II and other windfarms to an offshore HVDC converter station, which will transmit the electricity to the onshore converter station at Dorpen on the German coast via 135 kilometers of underwater and underground cables.
A converter station will then feed electrical power into the mainland grid. The completed link will be capable of supplying more than 1.5 million households with clean, wind generated electricity.
Peter Leupp, head of ABB's power systems division said that offshore wind power was emerging as a major source of large-scale renewable energy in Europe to help meet emission targets and lower environmental impacts. "AAB is uniquely positioned with in-house manufacturing capability of converter stations, cables and semiconductors, the essential components of HVDC systems, and has invested significantly in these technologies," he said.
The offshore network is schedule to be operational in 2015 and will contribute to the avoidance of more than 3 million tons of CO2 emissions per year by replacing fossil fuel generation. Germany's current installed wind power capacity of more than 27,000 MW represents about 8% of the country's total power requirements. There are plans to double the installed capacity by 2020. This is the third offshore wind connection contract for ABB in Germany, following the 800-MW Dolwin I link awarded in 2010 and the previous BorWin I project.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. IIR's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.
