Jan De Nul has completed the installation campaign of three subsea alternating current (HVAC) cables on the DolWin Kappa converter platform, part of the DolWin6 project led by TenneT. This operation will integrate a total of 660 megawatts of renewable energy from offshore wind farms into the German onshore grid. Nordseecluster 1 y 2.
The installation of the cables marks a significant breakthrough for offshore energy development in the North Sea, where it also connects the Gode Wind 3 wind farm. It is estimated that the electricity transmitted via this infrastructure will be sufficient to cover the annual consumption of 800,000 German households.
A specialized fleet for precise installation
The vessel Isaac Newton was in charge of transporting and installing the three 155 kV cables from Hellenic Cables’ plant in Corinth, Greece, to the connection area between DolWin Kappa and the wind farms. wind farms. For the crossings with other subsea infrastructure, concrete mattresses were used to ensure the stability of the cables.
In parallel, the multipurpose vessel Adhémar de Saint-Venant buried the cables along the entire route using its UTV1200 trencher. Finally, the vessel Simon Stevin deposited nearly 25,000 tons of rock to ensure the protection of the HVAC system on the seabed.
Contribution to Germany’s energy transition
The entire operation is part of the national goal to increase the share of renewable energies. With a total capacity of 900 MW, Nordseecluster 1, 2 and Gode Wind 3 will produce clean electricity for more than 1 million households in Germany.
TenneT, the transmission system operator, and Jan De Nul have collaborated on this project as part of a long-term partnership that will continue in the future with new converter station connection projects of up to 2 GW.
What’s next: testing in 2026
While the main installation has already been completed, the final connection and testing work is scheduled for spring 2026. These actions will be carried out once the infrastructure at the Nordseecluster 1 and 2 wind farms is completed.
The DolWin6 project represents a strategic step in the expansion of the German offshore network, consolidating Jan De Nul’s role as a key player in marine engineering and in driving the European energy transition.
Source: Jan De Nul