RWE is further deploying its Thor offshore wind farm by selecting two preferred suppliers for the electrical transmission system and entered into early works agreements with them.
Siemens Energy has been named the preferred supplier for the design, construction and installation of the onshore high voltage substation. The work will be carried out by the company’s Offshore Center of Competence, located in Ballerup, Denmark.
HSM Offshore Energy has been selected as preferred supplier for the engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning of the offshore high voltage substation and its jacket foundation.
“With the selection of preferred suppliers for the electrical transmission system we have reached the next milestone in the development of our Thor offshore wind farm, which will massively contribute towards Denmark’s ambitious climate targets,” says Pia Lanken, CEO of RWE Renewables Denmark. “To deploy this offshore project we rely on our 20 year track-record in offshore wind and on experienced suppliers, which will work, where possible, hand in hand with Danish supply chain companies and local workforce.”
RWE will build the Thor wind farm off the Danish west coast – approximately 22 kilometers from Thorsminde on the west coast of Jutland. With a planned capacity of 1,000 MW, Thor will be Denmark’s largest offshore wind farm to date. To connect the wind farm to the Danish grid, RWE will build two new substations – one at sea and one on land. The substation at sea is the nerve center of the wind farm: the electricity produced by the individual wind turbines is collected here and transformed to transmission-level voltage.
The electricity will be transported through export cables to the new-build onshore substation Volder Søndervang, which is located close to the coastline and the adjacent grid connection point of the Danish grid operator, Energinet. A corresponding grid connection agreement has already been signed between RWE and Energinet in spring.
RWE has purchased the land in the municipality of Lemvig, where the onshore substation will be located, and has carried out ground-condition and archaeological surveys. Siemens Energy will commence design work, followed by the procurement of main equipment and the submission of permit applications. It is expected that construction activities can be kicked off on site in spring 2023. Siemens Energy is planning to carry out the civil engineering and construction works together with MT Højgaard Danmark, one of Denmark’s leading companies for large-scale building and infrastructure projects.
HSM Offshore Energy, together with its engineering subcontractor Iv-Offshore & Energy, has created an efficient design for RWE’s Thor substation and its foundation that reduces the use of structural steel and the energy needed during manufacturing – with steel sourcing and fabrication in Europe.
Installation of the jacket foundation in water depth of up to 27 meters and installation of the substation are expected to take place in 2025 – followed by the commissioning and testing of the offshore substation in 2026.
Once fully operational, which is planned to be no later than 2027, RWE’s Thor wind farm would be capable of producing enough electricity to supply the equivalent of more than 1 million Danish households.
For the operation and maintenance of the wind farm, RWE will set up a service base at the port of Thorsminde. It is expected that the new service station will be fully operational from 2026 onwards. RWE plans to support its wind farm for at least 30 years from this port.
