The jackets for the two offshore substations that will connect Skyborn Renewables’ Gennaker offshore wind farm in Germany have been loaded out at yards in the Netherlands.
The OSS Zingst jacket was loaded out at HSM Offshore Energy’s yard in Schiedam, while the OSS Darß jacket was loaded out at the Smulders yard in Vlissingen.
The two substations are part of 50Hertz’s OST-6-1 grid connection, which will transmit electricity from Gennaker in the Baltic Sea to the German grid.
The HSI Joint Venture, comprising HSM Offshore Energy, Smulders and Iv, is responsible for the engineering, procurement, construction, transport and installation, and commissioning of the two offshore substations and their jacket foundations.
The consortium was selected by 50Hertz in 2022 for the development of the two platforms and associated services. Allseas has been contracted to transport and install the substations, including the jackets, using its heavy-lift vessel Pioneering Spirit.
OSS Zingst and OSS Darß will collect electricity generated by Gennaker and transform it to 220 kV before the power is transmitted to the new Gnewitz substation onshore, approximately 70 to 90 kilometres away.
The two substations form the OST-6-1 grid connection for Gennaker East and Gennaker West. The transmission system has a capacity of up to 927 MW.
The Gennaker offshore wind farm is located approximately 15 kilometres north of the Fischland-Darß-Zingst peninsula in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where 63 Siemens Gamesa wind turbines with a maximum capacity of 15.5 MW will be installed, resulting in a total Gennaker output of a maximum 976.5 MW.
Skyborn and 50Hertz signed an agreement in January that set out the framework for the two offshore platforms and cleared the way for the commissioning of the full grid connection system by mid-2028.
The wind farm recently reached financial close and has firmed up several major supply and installation contracts. Seaway7 is contracted to transport and install the 63 monopiles and transition pieces to be manufactured by EEW Special Pipe Construction and Dajin Heavy Industry. TKF and Boskalis are responsible for the inter-array cable supply and installation.
Installation of the wind turbines, for which Skyborn has contracted Fred. Olsen Windcarrier, is scheduled to begin in 2027, with the wind farm planned to be commissioned in 2028.