50Hertz Issues HVDC System Tender for Ostwind 4 Offshore Grid Connection

January 9, 2024, by Adnan Memija

German offshore transmission system operator (TSO) 50Hertz Offshore GmbH has issued a contract notice for the engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) of the 2 GW HVDC offshore platform and converter system for the Ostwind 4 grid connection project.

The scope consists of the respective complete substructure and topside of the offshore platform and the civil works of the onshore substation including its converter, both with the corresponding electrical equipment and non-electrical equipment as well as other required scope and services for a fully functional 2 GW converter system ready for operation and connection to the German grid.

The connecting DC cable system between the two converters is not part of the scope.

The associated civil works for the HVDC onshore substation are not a mandatory scope of the tender.

According to the notice, bidders may choose to offer these works in their bid, which will result in an improved scoring as per technical tender evaluation criteria.

Tenderers may submit more than one tender and the deadline for receipt of requests to participate is 19 January.

The Ostwind 4 offshore grid connection project will be located in area O-2.2 in the German Baltic Sea.

In September 2023, 50Hertz awarded several contracts to power cable manufacturers NKT and Prysmian. NKT was awarded a multi-year framework agreement with five firm contracts that have a combined value of approximately EUR 3.5 billion.

The five projects will see NKT providing several 525 kV XLPE HVDC onshore and offshore power cable systems. These include onshore connections and offshore wind farm export cables for SuedOstLink+ (SOL+), Ostwind 4, DC32 (NordOstLink+), and LanWin 6, as well as a hybrid interconnector for the German part of the Bornholm Energy Island project.