50Hertz Awards Siemens Energy and NSORe Offshore Converter Contract

The German power grid operator 50Hertz has commissioned a consortium consisting of Siemens Energy and Neptun Smulders Offshore Renewables to build an offshore converter system that will connect North Sea wind farms with Germany's electrical grid.

This project is the first to see offshore converter platforms, built to a new standard of?two gigawatts?, being manufactured in Germany. Key components will be made in Rostock-Warnemuende. This?contract sends a powerful and encouraging message to Germany. This contract shows the 'potential of our industry, and 'the capabilities of Germany as a business location.

The contract initially covers a?one offshore converter station and a one onshore platform. 50Hertz stated that talks were continuing about a second converter.

If concluded, ?the ?total order volume for NSORe alone would come to around EUR2.5 billion ($2.7 ?billion), mainly for production and services ?in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, creating more than 500 long-term ?jobs.

NSORe was formed by Meyer?Werft Neptun Werft in collaboration with Belgian steel construction firm Smulders. (Reporting and editing by Madeline Chambers, Holger Hansen)

(source: Reuters)