Amprion Secures Approval for BalWin1 & BalWin2 Grid Connections

June 23, 2025, by Adnan Memija

German transmission system operator (TSO) Amprion has received planning approval to begin construction work on the BalWin1 and BalWin2 offshore grid connections in the German North Sea.

Amprion received approval for the approximately 34-kilometre-long section in the coastal waters of Lower Saxony. Following approval, construction work on the island of Norderney can begin in July, according to Amprion.

The drilling will be carried out using the horizontal directional drilling (HDD) method, which involves inserting cable protection pipes into the boreholes, into which the direct current cables are then pulled.

Work on the first six of 18 planned boreholes is set to start in summer 2025.

The BalWin1 and BalWin2 grid connection systems connect offshore wind farms in the North Sea with the onshore transmission grid. From the offshore wind farms, the cables will run 155 kilometres and 165 kilometres out at sea, respectively.

BalWin1 BalWin2 Amprion — Source: Amprion

They will pass under the island of Norderney and reach the coast in the Hilgenriedersiel area. On the onshore sections of BalWin1 and BalWin2, about 205 kilometres and 215 kilometres of underground cables will be laid, respectively.

To reach their respective connection points in Wehrendorf (BalWin1) and Westerkappeln (BalWin2), the projects will separate on the final stretch of the route.

BalWin1 and BalWin2 will each have a capacity of 2 GW. They are scheduled to go into operation in 2030 and 2031.

In 2023, the TSO awarded Siemens Energy and Dragados Offshore a contract to build converter stations for the offshore grid connections.

This month, Meyer Werft, the company responsible for the manufacture of steel components for Amprion’s converter platforms, cut the first steel for BalWin1 and BalWin2.