50Hertz has signed project and framework contracts with two leading European manufacturers of high-performance cables for the production and installation of submarine and land cables covering a total length of 3500 km, with an option for an additional 2700 km. The contracts awarded to NKT and Prysmian Power Link – part of Prysmian Group – have a volume of €4.6 billion. The award covers 525-kV cable systems with a capacity of 2 GW per system for line construction projects that are legally enshrined in the Bundesbedarfsplan or envisaged in the draft of the Net-zentwicklungsplan 2037/2045 (2023).
Stefan Kapferer, CEO of 50Hertz, said: “With these contracts, we are taking a major step towards enabling Germany to achieve the goal of climate neutrality by 2045. High-capacity power lines – whether overhead lines, cables on the seabed, or underground cables on land – are the backbone of the energy transition. Their production and installation require exceptional technological expertise. In NKT and Prysmian Group, we have two partners with whom we have already worked on other projects and who represent 'Made in Europe' quality. We look forward to the co-operation.”
Claes Westerlind, CEO and President of NKT, added: “This is a historic order and a major milestone for NKT and we are very excited to continue the collaboration with 50Hertz in their ambitious development of the 525 kV HVDC transmission grid. We are looking forward to further strengthening this relationship, where we are currently executing the cable projects for the two SuedOstLink transmission lines and the offshore cable link Ostwind 2. With this record award, we confirm our strong position in the HVDC power cable market and continue to be a key supplier for the German Energiewende.”
Hakan Ozmen, CEO of Prysmian Power Link, commented: “We are honoured to collaborate with 50Hertz on these important projects, confirming the Group’s ongoing successful relationship. Indeed, in the past years 50Hertz has awarded to Prysmian the power cable system for the offshore wind park cluster West of Adlergrund in the German Baltic Sea. Prysmian is proud to be contributing to the German 'Energiewende' with our cable solutions and experience, supporting the growth of green energy use in Germany and around the world.”
NKT with headquarter in Denmark is responsible for five of seven projects with a volume of €3.5 billion. In the Baltic Sea, NKT is to supply the cables for the offshore grid connection systems of the Ost-2-4 area (Ostwind 4) off the island of Rügen and for the German part of the Bornholm Energy Island project. It will also install the cables on the seabed. Bornholm Energy Island is being implemented by 50Hertz together with the Danish system operator, Energinet.
In the North Sea, NKT is responsible for the implementation of the offshore grid connection project LanWin 6 (NOR-13-2 area), as well as the onshore HVDC project DC 32 (NordOstLink +) between the survey areas of Pöschendorf in Schleswig-Holstein and Klein Rogahn near Schwerin in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
NKT has also been contracted for the SuedOstLink+ (SOL+) project. This extra-high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line will start at Klein Rogahn and join with the SuedOstLink (SOL), which is about to begin construction, in Wolmirstedt near Magdeburg. NKT is already responsible for the production and installation of cables for SOL.
Prysmian Power Link, an affiliate of Prysmian Group, headquartered in Italy, is awarded the contract for a lot comprising the realisation of the offshore grid connection system LanWin 3 (NOR-11-1 area) in the North Sea comprising of both the supply and installation of the subsea cables and the eastern part of onshore DC 31 NordOstLink (NOL), which is to start from the Heide survey area in Schleswig-Holstein and run mostly on the same route as NOL +.
Engineering, production, and installation of the cable systems are scheduled to begin in 2025 and be completed with full commissioning in the mid-2030s.
In addition, 50Hertz enters into a framework agreement for the supply and installation of an additional 2700 km of cable. Contracting parties for this framework agreement are both Prysmian and NKT.
For more news and technical articles from the global renewable industry, read the latest issue of Energy Global magazine.
Energy Global's Autumn 2023 is-sue
The Autumn 2023 issue of Energy Global hosts an array of technical articles focusing on green hydrogen, wind installation technology, blade monitoring solutions, and more. This issue also features a regional report looking at some key renewables projects in Australia.