Transmission grid operator TenneT has invited companies to place their bids for the newly developed offshore platforms, land stations, and associated equipment of the BalWin1, BalWin2, and BalWin3 grid connections in the North Sea off Lower Saxony, each with a transmission capacity of 2 GW.
The contracts for all three projects have a combined order volume in the seven-digit range and are expected to be awarded in the third quarter of 2023. Effective immediately, bidders can qualify for the tender process. The first three German 2 GW projects will be part of TenneT’s transnational 2 GW programme, offering more than twice the transmission capacity of the 900 MW systems that have been common in Germany to date.
“The 2GW Program will be a key pillar of our offshore strategy while helping to advance the energy transition in Europe more quickly and efficiently,” said Tim Meyerjürgens, chief operating officer of TenneT. “After a successful launch in the Netherlands and with the call for tenders for the converter stations of our BalWin projects, we are now also putting grid expansion in the German North Sea on course for climate neutrality.”
As part of the 2GW programme, at least six offshore grid connection systems are to be built in Germany and the Netherlands by 2030, with three of them being in the German BalWin cluster. With a total capacity of 6 GW, the BalWin project should contribute 20% to the increased offshore expansion target of Germany’s new federal government by 2030 and provide green electricity from sea to land for approximately 7.5m households. TenneT is planning at least three more projects off the coast of the Netherlands with a combined total of 6 GW.Â
