HSM Offshore, the EPC contractor for the Borkum Riffgrund 2 offshore substation, installed the two transformers that make the topside structure on 13 January. The topside left the construction hall for the installation of the transformers and was brought back into the covered construction area after the lifting operation was completed.
The substation’s jacket foundation was installed at the offshore wind farm site in July 2017, while the topside is scheduled to be delivered in mid-2018.
After winning the EPC contract, HSM Offshore appointed Iv-Oil & Gas for the engineering and procurement of the substation. Iv-Oil & Gas is handling the detailed engineering and procurement of the utility systems for the topside, and Iv-Consult has produced the shop drawings for both jacket and topside.
The 2,500-tonne topside will be installed on top of its 1,700-tonne jacket foundation in the south-eastern part of the North Sea, approximately 38 kilometres off the German island of Borkum.
The offshore substation, as well as the Borkum Riffgrund 2 offshore wind farm, is expected to be fully commissioned in 2019.
The 450MW Borkum Riffgrund 2, developed by Ørsted, will consist of 56 MHI Vestas 8MW turbines and is expected to be fully commissioned in 2019.
The project is owned by Ørsted and Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP).