ABB Wins German Offshore Wind Connection Order

ABB contracted to provide AC transmission link to connect North Sea wind farm to German power grid and save up to 500,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions

ABB, the power and automation technology group, has won a significant order from the Dutch-German transmission grid operator TenneT to supply an AC (alternating current) power transmission link connecting Nordergründe, an offshore North Sea wind farm, to the mainland grid in Germany. The order was booked in the first quarter.

The link has a capacity to transmit 111 megawatts (MW) of clean wind power – enough to serve the needs of more than 100,000 households and help save up to 500,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year, once commissioned in 2013, by replacing fossil fueled generation.

“Offshore wind is a fast growing renewable energy resource in Europe, which helps address the need for more power while minimizing environmental impact,” said Brice Koch, head of ABB’s Power Systems division. “ABB provides a wide range of products, systems and services that enable the efficient generation and integration of renewables into the grid."

As part of the project scope, ABB will design, engineer, supply and install the 155 kilovolt (kV) land and submarine cable system, the onshore and offshore shunt reactors, the onshore 155/220 kV power transformer and the extension of an existing 220 kV substation. The cable system comprises 3x4 kilometers of single-core AC land cable and 28 km of three core AC submarine cable with integrated fiber optics.