Siemens Energy and Neptun Smulders Offshore Renewables have been awarded a contract by 50Hertz to deliver the North Sea Connector 2 grid connection system in the North Sea, with a capacity of up to 2 GW.
Siemens Energy will equip the offshore converter platform with electrical transmission technology. The company has also secured a long-term service contract covering maintenance, IT services, and on-call support.
50Hertz said the consortium was selected through a transparent tender process based on price and technology. Key components will be manufactured at a shipyard within 50Hertz’s grid area.
The offshore converter platform will be fabricated by Neptun Smulders Offshore Renewables, a joint venture between Neptun Werft, part of Meyer Werft Group, and Smulders. The work will be carried out mainly at the Neptun Werft shipyard in Rostock-Warnemünde.
Around 95% of Siemens Energy’s project scope for North Sea Connector 2 will be delivered in Germany. This includes transformers and converters from Nuremberg and SF₆-free gas-insulated switchgear from Berlin. The company is investing several hundred million euros to expand these sites in response to demand for energy transition technologies.
The topside will be built in Rostock-Warnemünde and later fitted with transmission technology. Smulders will manufacture the jacket in the Netherlands.
The platform will be installed about 200 km west of Sylt. It will convert alternating current from offshore wind turbines into direct current for transmission to shore.
Siemens Energy executive board member Tim Holt said offshore grid expansion is one of the most demanding parts of the energy transition and requires strong maritime partners as well as technology.
50Hertz chief executive officer Stefan Kapferer said the tender showed the consortium’s competitiveness on price and technology, while also bringing key manufacturing work into the company’s grid area.
Stiftung Offshore-Windenergie welcomed the 2 GW offshore converter platform contract, describing it as an important signal for Germany as an industrial location. Managing director Karina Würtz said the award shows the international competitiveness of Germany’s maritime sector in key energy transition technologies.
