Substation sails out to Meerwind offshore wind farm

Alstom and WeserWind to help bring offshore wind energy to German households

The consortium Alstom Grid and WeserWind GmbH have successfully handed over the substation for the Meerwind Süd and Meerwind Ost wind farms. The barge, carrying the 3,000 tonne platform and substation, sailed out on 2 April 2014 to the installation field near Helgoland, North Sea, Germany.

The turnkey substation solution forms part of the Meerwind Süd and Meerwind Ost wind farms, a project owned by Bremerhaven-based WindMW GmbH. The platform which houses the entire offshore substation was installed on 3 April by WindMW and is currently prepared for operation.  

The Meerwind offshore wind farms will guarantee the efficient and ready access to wind energy in Germany. There are 80 wind turbines to feed a total power of 288 MW into the grid. The substation will connect the wind turbines to the electricity grid via the transmission grid operator. Once completed, these wind farms will energise 400,000 households, and save over 1 million tons of CO₂ emissions per year compared to coal power plants. The water depth of the wind farms is between 22 and 26 metres.

We are proud to contribute to Germanys energy transition, says Dr. Jochen Schwarz, Member of the Board at Alstom Deutschland AG. Our leadership and technical expertise can be seen with our existing successes in offshore transformer stations Borkum West II, Global Tech 1 and alpha ventus. Meerwind is no different.

The project included the technical development, construction (including the offshore platform), design and supply of all electrical components by Alstom Grid. The specialist company WeserWind GmbH Offshore Construction Georgsmarienhütte designed and manufactured the platforms steel structure including the helicopter landing deck and the platforms jacket.

The completion of Meerwind and other projects including Baltic 1, alpha ventus, Borkum West II and Global Tech 1 is a step towards a successful energy transition. WeserWind GmbH is proud to have contributed to such projects, and will continue to do so in the future, said Ralph Ruthner, General Manager from WeserWind GmbH. 

About Alstom

Alstom is a global leader in the world of power generation, power transmission and rail infrastructure and sets the benchmark for innovative and environmentally friendly technologies. Alstom builds the fastest train and the highest capacity automated metro in the world, provides turnkey integrated power plant solutions and associated services for a wide variety of energy sources, including hydro, nuclear, gas, coal and wind, and it offers a wide range of solutions for power transmission, with a focus on smart grids. The Group employs 93,000 people in around 100 countries. It had sales of over 20 billion and booked close to 24 billion in orders in 2012/13. 

Alstom Grid has one clear vision: to develop innovative solutions for a flexible, reliable, affordable and sustainable electrical grid, everywhere. We design, manufacture, install and service the power transmission and distribution products and systems that empower the planets low carbon economy... for now and for the future.

Alstom Grid has over 130 years experience and ranks among the top three in the electrical transmission sector with an annual sales turnover of more than 4 billion. Alstom Grids 19,000 employees are spread across 88 manufacturing and engineering sites worldwide and have one common mission: be our customers trusted partner, from the source to the city.

We are energising a smarter world with Alstom. 

About WeserWind

WeserWind GmbH stands for innovative solutions in the area of wind energy and serves a future-oriented market in Germany. The company produces foundation structures at two sites in Bremerhaven. They serve as foundations for wind power plant and fulfil highest expectations in terms of security and durability. WeserWind plays a significant role in the erection of a number of wind parks in the North and Baltic Sea and is the first company manufacturing foundation structures in assembly line production. In addition, the product portfolio consists of wind metmasts as well as the construction of offshore substations. In many areas, the company´s specialists benefit from the know-how of the Group Georgsmarienhütte.

Press contacts:

Nathalie Bourotte / Aline Besselièvre (Alstom Grid) -  Tel : +33 1 49 01 62 17 / 67 60

nathalie.bourotte@alstom.com/ aline.besselievre@alstom.com 

Beatrix Fontius (Alstom Deutschland): beatrix.fontius@alstom.com Tel: +49 621 329 2547  

Website

www.alstom.com/grid