Amprion commissions TÜV SÜD as Owner´s Engineer for BorWin4 and DolWin4 converter platforms

In order for Germany to meet its climate change targets, offshore wind farms are expected to provide as much electricity as 40 large coal-fired power plants by 2030. The wind farms need to be connected to the German transmission grid. The transmission grid operator Amprion is planning and installing, among other things, the two grid connection systems BorWin4 and DolWin4.

Two converter platforms are important parts of these systems. They convert the alternating current from the offshore wind turbines into direct current, which is more suitable for transmission over long distances. They can each transmit an output of 900 megawatts. The converters will be installed on platforms in the North Sea, which must be able to withstand the harsh conditions of this environment.

Amprion has appointed TÜV SÜD as Owner’s Engineer to supervise the construction of the offshore converter platforms for the BorWin4 and the DolWin4 offshore grid connection systems. The contract covers supervision of the fabrication of the platforms’ individual components at several locations worldwide, such as supervision of the fabrication of large components at the Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany, as well as the supervision of the assembly of the platforms at Dragados Offshore in Cadiz, Spain, and the supervision of the commissioning of the platforms on the high seas.

“We are thrilled to have been awarded this complex project, which simultaneously reflects our company’s commitment to the energy transition,” says Sebastian Holtz, the responsible project manager at TÜV SÜD Industrie Service GmbH. The experts in Sebastian Holtz’s team have extensive experience with offshore wind farms and transmission grids and a corresponding crossregional network of experienced experts to make inspections at various locations extremely efficient.

Official start of fabrication for DolWin4 was on 2 July 2024 at Dragados Offshore in Cadiz and on 4 July 2024 at the Meyer Werft in Papenburg.

Further information on TÜV SÜD’s services in the field of wind energy can be found at tuvsud.com/windenergy.