Dutch transmission system operator TenneT has officially signed contracts worth around €30bn to secure components to develop its North Sea transmission capacity.
The deals cover sea- and land-based converter stations for 14 grid connection systems that will carry power from offshore wind farms in the German and Dutch North Sea.
With contracts for 11 of these systems awarded at the end of March, TenneT added the final three at the signing ceremony in Germany.
The contracts were signed with Hitachi Energy/Petrofac cooperation and three consortium partnerships – GE/Sembcorp (SMOP), GE/McDermott and Siemens Energy/Dragados.
The components used to convert alternating current into direct current and back will be manufactured exclusively at European production sites of the consortiums’ members in all projects.
The 14 transmission systems are expected to be realised by 2031.
COO of TenneT Tim Meyerjurgens said: “As the leading offshore transmission system operator in the EU, we have the know-how needed to make Europe’s goal of securing an independent supply of renewable energies a reality.
“To achieve this, the North Sea must be developed as Europe’s green powerhouse and quickly connected to the electricity grids on land. We are acting and investing accordingly. Our 2GW Programme will help make green wind energy from the North Sea scalable and more cost-efficient – while continuing to minimise any impacts on the environment.”