Nordic Yards Commence Production of BorWin Beta Offshore Transformer Platform (Germany)

Nordic Yards, manufacturer of technologically sophisticated and innovative special ships and maritime structures, commences production today on BorWin beta, the first self-righting offshore transformer platform in Germany.

In the presence of the Minister President of the federal state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania Erwin Sellering, the Minister for Economics, Labour and Tourism of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania Jürgen Seidel and representatives of the client Siemens Energy, production work in Warnemünde began with the first steel blank cut. In close cooperation with Siemens Energy, Nordic Yards has carried forward the plans for the construction of the transformer platform since summer 2010. In the course of the project, up to 450 workers will be involved in the production of the offshore platform.

In July 2010, Siemens Energy commissioned Nordic Yards to construct an offshore platform for BorWin2, the project initiated by the Dutch transmission system operator TenneT. The platform BorWin beta is a module of the offshore wind farm transmission system BorWin2, which is to be operated by a syndicate consisting of the Italian company Prysmian Powerlink and Siemens Energy. The transformer platform ensures the transmission of the energy generated by the two offshore wind farms Veja Mate and Global Tech I to the mainland. The platform will be anchored about 125 kilometres from the German coast. BorWin beta is electrically equipped to feed a permanent supply of 800 megawatts of renewable energy into the German electricity grid, which would roughly cover the electricity needs of a city like Frankfurt am Main. The power converter will begin test operation at the end of 2012.

“With the start of the construction of the transformer platform, Nordic Yards is opening the door to offshore wind energy, a field with high future potential”, commented the Minister President Erwin Sellering. “This sector offers great opportunities for our federal state, especially for our maritime industries.”

Vitaly Yusufov, the owner and Managing Director of Nordic Yards, said: “With the construction of the offshore platform, Nordic Yards has also established itself in the offshore wind turbine sector. This is a core element of our corporate strategy. After the successful completion of the intensive planning phase, we are delighted to be able to construct the first German self-righting offshore power converter platform for Siemens Energy. The implementation of such a technically ambitious project enables the personnel of Nordic Yards to prove their extensive skills. Here in Warnemünde, we have exactly the installations and areas of competence which are needed for a project of this magnitude.”

Wilfried Breuer, the CEO of the Power Transmission Solutions Division of the Siemens Energy sector, added: “In the planning phase over the last few months, Nordic Yards has impressively shown that we can rely on the competence of this shipyard. With BorWin2, Siemens Energy as the market leader for transmission connections for offshore wind farms is also taking a significant step forward in the development of our offshore commitment. With Nordic Yards as a partner we will install the platform with the highest quality on schedule.”

Siemens Energy and Prysmian had won the order from TenneT with a value of more than half a billion Euros in June 2010. The two offshore wind farms Veja Mate and Global Tech 1 are situated about 125 kilometres from the German coast. Siemens Energy, as the general contractor for the overall system with responsibility for ordering the platforms, will carry out the entire electrical engineering, especially the HVDC Plus converters and transformers for the platform, in the shipyard of Nordic Yards in Warnemünde.

(nordicyards)

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Source: nordicyards, May 03, 2011; Image: siemens