The first onshore cables have been pulled at a site in Lower Saxony, Germany, for the BorWin4 and DolWin4 grid connection projects, marking the start of the cable laying campaigns, according to cable supplier Prysmian.
The DolWin4 and BorWin4 grid connection systems, each with a capacity of 900 MW, will bring offshore wind energy from the North Sea to Lingen in southern Emsland.
DolWin4 cable route stretches around 215 kilometres, of which some 60 kilometres is offshore. BorWin4 has a total route length of around 280 kilometres, with around 125 kilometres offshore.
On their way to the land, the offshore cables for the two projects will cross below the island of Norderney before reaching the coast in Hilgenriedersiel. From there, the lines will run for around 155 kilometres as underground cables toward the Hanekenfähr substation in Lingen, where Amprion will connect them to its transmission network.
Amprion’s substation in Lingen used to connect the Emsland nuclear power plant to the transmission network. After the power plant was shut down in 2023, service capacities totalling 1.4 GW were freed up at this grid node and in future, this capacity will be used to transport wind power to the consumption centres in the west and south of Germany, according to Amprion.
The transmission system operator (TSO) kicked off construction work on the DolWin4 and BorWin4 grid connection systems in July 2022 on Norderney Island’s North Beach. Last year, construction work also started in Lingen and Wietmarschen.
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Amprion Breaks Ground on DolWin4 and BorWin4 Offshore Grid Connections
Construction Begins on Amprion’s DolWin4 and BorWin4 Offshore Grid Connection Projects Grid Connection In September 2022, Amprion awarded Prysmian two contracts , including options, for the design, supply, installation, and commissioning of land and submarine cables for DolWin4 and BorWin4. Siemens Energy and Dragados Offshore have been selected to supply the converter platforms.
According to information available on Amprion’s website, the two grid connection systems will go into operation in 2028.