Cable solutions provider Prysmian Group has finalised three contracts worth about €5bn with German transmission system operator Amprion for the BalWin1 and BalWin2 offshore grid connection systems and the DC34 underground cable project in Germany.
The contract has been awarded following the selection of Prysmian as the preferred bidder in August 2023.
Under the deal, the cable solutions provider will deliver nearly 4,400km of ±525kV high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cables and dedicated metallic return (DMR) cables, of which approximately 3,400km are land cables and 1,000km are submarine cables.
Together, the three projects form part of the country’s overall plan to install 70GW of offshore wind energy by 2045.
The projects are also expected to facilitate the transmission of the energy generated in the North Sea to consumers in the Western and Southern regions of Germany.
Prysmian transmission division executive vice president Hakan Ozmen said: “The three contracts with Amprion are an important milestone for Prysmian as they underline once again the trusting cooperation between the two companies. We are glad to actively contribute as a reliable partner to the energy transition.”
The BalWin1 and BalWin2 offshore grid connection systems will each transmit up to 2GW of offshore wind energy generated in areas 9 and 10 of the German North Sea to the grid connection points.
It is estimated that these systems can cover the needs of approximately four million people from offshore wind energy.
BalWin1 and BalWin2 connection systems are scheduled to be commissioned in 2029 and 2030, respectively.
The DC34 underground cable project, which is part of the Rhein-Main-Link power grid expansion project, will connect the substation in Lower Saxony to a second substation in the federal state of Hesse.
It will supply up to 2GW of wind energy to consumers in the Rhine-Main metropolitan area.
Amprion chief technology officer Hendrik Neumann said: “We have secured the necessary cable resources for three important energy transition projects. Contracts like the ones with Prysmian are essential in order to achieve our offshore expansion targets.”
