DNV GL and Cosco Team Up to Install BorWin Gamma

DNV GL has been awarded a contract by Cosco Shipping Company Limited of China for the installation engineering services for the BorWin gamma high voltage direct current (HVDC) converter platform.

The Dutch-German transmission system operator TenneT is developing the offshore AC/DC converter platform BorWin gamma as part of the grid connection project BorWin3.

A consortium of Siemens and Petrofac has been contracted by TenneT to design, build and install BorWin gamma. Cosco Shipping was awarded the transportation and installation contract by Petrofac and has chosen DNV GL’s Noble Denton marine services as partner to fulfill the dynamic positioning (DP) float-over job, the first ever to be carried out in the North Sea and Europe, DNV GL said.

“DNV GL has jointly completed 10 installations successfully around the world with COSCO,” said Andy Wang, project director of DNV GL – Oil & Gas Greater China.

“Our experts have a solid track record in DP float-over that won the confidence of Petrofac and Siemens. 

DNV GL’s Noble Denton marine services pioneered and developed DP float-over, a heavy module installation method using a dynamic positioning vessel, together with Cosco.

”Our investment in innovative solutions and leading technology for heavy offshore module transportation and installation has given us a long-standing reputation that led us to win this contract. We sincerely look forward to working with COSCO and the consortium partners on this important project,” said Arthur Stoddart, regional manager of DNV GL – Oil & Gas Region Greater China, Korea & Japan.

Weighing in at 18,000 metric tonnes, BorWin gamma will be one of the heaviest HVDC platforms ever installed. The installation is expected to commence in the summer of 2018. Once completed, it will transmit approximately 900MW of wind power.

Scheduled to go online in 2019, the BorWin gamma platform will be installed nearly 130 kilometres off the German coast in the North Sea, at a water depth of approximately 40 metres. The 900 MW DC transmission will be through a 160-kilometre-long 320 kV cable.