The topside of the DolWin gamma offshore converter station is ready to sail out to the German North Sea after completing all the necessary testing at the Nordic Yard facility in Rostock, according to General Electric (GE).
The DolWin gamma offshore platform, an essential part of the 900MW DolWin3 offshore grid connection system, has recently undergone a circulating current test to exercise the primary, secondary and auxiliary systems installed in the platform, prior to the sail-out which is planned for mid-June.
Testing was concluded with a 12-hour heat run conducted overnight in mid-May which demonstrated the readiness of the HVDC converter and the suitability of the design, GE said.
DolWin gamma will be installed some 50 kilometres north of Borkum in a water depth of about 30 metres. It is a daughter platform to the DolWin alpha and will be connected to it via a fixed bridge.
In 2013, TenneT awarded a contract for the supply and construction of the DolWin3 onshore and offshore converter stations as well as the connecting cable systems to Alstom, which in the meantime sold its power and grid businesses to GE.
DolWin3 is being developed to allow secure transfer of renewable energy from the distant wind farms to the mainland with as little loss as possible.
Once completed by the end of this year, the DolWin3 will connect two offshore wind farms from the DolWin cluster to the 400kV substation in Dörpen West.