Dragados has added a new production yard in Spain to carry out the fabrication of TenneT’s 2GW offshore converter stations.
The production site, with 400,000 sq m of space, is being built in the southern Spanish coastal town of Algeciras (Campo de Gibraltar region) for the production of converter platforms in the 2GW class.
From 2026, two platform topsides for the offshore grid connection systems LanWin2 and BalWin3 will be built there.
These connections are to transmit wind power from the German North Sea to shore in 2030 (LanWin2) and 2031 (BalWin3).
The new Spanish shipyard site complements the existing Dragados shipyard in Cadiz/Puerto Real, where another TenneT platform of the same size is being built for the German North Sea grid connection system LanWin4 (completion in 2031).
TenneT has already concluded long-term cooperation agreements with the contractor Dragados Offshore from Spain and Siemens Energy from Germany in April 2023.
Managers of the three companies met in Algeciras today to mark the start of preparatory work on the future shipyard site.
Tim Meyerjurgens, CEO at TenneT Germany, said: “Our European partners can rely on TenneT.
“We are laying the foundation for millions of euros invested in the series production of 2-gigawatt converter platforms at this site, thus securing the expansion of electricity transmission technology in the German North Sea and at the same time strengthening industrial value creation in Europe.
“Many new jobs will be created in the Campo de Gibraltar region of southern Spain. With our secured project pipeline and long-term cooperation agreements, we offer Dragados Offshore investment security to meet urgently needed production capacities for our increasing demand for offshore wind infrastructure in Germany.”
The decision to use platform production in Europe has numerous advantages: shorter transport routes reduce the CO2 footprint, while close cooperation strengthens technical know-how in Europe and increases competitiveness.
In addition, political stability and high quality standards guarantee reliable production.
These advantages are also reflected in the long-standing partnership with Dragados Offshore, which is based on proven structures.
Two German TenneT converter platforms – DolWin kappa and BorWin epsilon – have already been successfully implemented as part of this cooperation.
The Dragados shipyard in Algeciras will be one of the few specialised production facilities in Europe capable of building the highly technically sophisticated 2GW converter platforms.
The new site offers optimal production conditions with a 263-metre-long quay and modern facilities for efficient loading and unloading operations.
The LanWin2, BalWin3 and LanWin4 offshore grid connection systems are part of TenneT’s 2GW programme.
The converter platforms collect the three-phase current (66 kV) generated by several wind farms and convert it into high-voltage direct current (525 kV).
This is then transported via submarine cables to converter stations in the regions of Wilhelmshaven (Lower Saxony) and Heide (Schleswig-Holstein), where it is converted back into three-phase current and fed into the German power grid.