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Siemens Energy : to build 2 GW converter platform with German shipyard for the first time
Siemens Energy : to build 2 GW converter platform with German shipyard for the first
About this update from Siemens Energy Ag
Siemens Energy and Neptun Smulders Offshore Renewables (NSORe) have been awarded a contract to deliver a new grid connection system for offshore wind farms in the North Sea for German transmission system operator, 50Hertz. The connection, known as North Sea Connector 2, will enable up to 2 gigawatts of wind power to be transmitted from offshore to onshore in the future. The offshore converter platform will be fabricated by NSORe, a joint venture between Neptun Werft - part of the German Meyer Werft Group - and the Belgian construction company Smulders, primarily at the Neptun Werft shipyard in Rostock-Warnemünde. Siemens Energy will equip the platform with electrical transmission technologies, which will largely be manufactured at the company's German factories. Siemens Energy has also been awarded a long-term service contract to cover maintenance, IT services, and on-call support. The company expects to fully book the order in the next fiscal year starting on October 1, 2026. Tim Holt, Member of the Executive Board of Siemens Energy, said: "Expanding offshore grid connections is currently one of the most demanding tasks of the energy transition, especially at the pace now required. To help this, we have specifically expanded our capacities in Germany. Technology is only one piece of the puzzle, to ensure that our technologies can be deployed, we rely on strong partners in the maritime sector. We welcome the additional, much-needed capacity being created by Neptun Werft." Stefan Kapferer, CEO of 50Hertz, said: "As the transmission system operator for eastern Germany, Berlin and Hamburg, we are pleased that, in a transparent and open tendering process, a consortium was able to prevail both in terms of price and technology, and will manufacture key components at a shipyard within our grid area. This demonstrates that domestic shipyards are now capable of offering competitive bids for the construction of offshore platforms." Around 95 percent of Siemens Energy's project scope for North Sea Connector 2 will be delivered in Germany: Transformers and converters will come from Nuremberg, while SF₆-free gas-insulated switchgear will be supplied from Berlin. Siemens Energy is currently investing several hundred million euros in expanding these sites to meet growing demand for energy transition technologies. More details about the project: To efficiently transmit electricity from offshore wind farms located far from shore, the power is converted from alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) at sea. This is done on an offshore converter platform, which consists of two main components: A jacket foundation and a topside structure roughly the height of a building. The topside for the North Sea Connector 2 project will be built by Meyer Werft in Rostock-Warnemünde and subsequently equipped with the necessary power transmission technology by Siemens Energy. At the same time, Smulders will manufacture the jacket in the Netherlands, on which the topside will later be installed approximately 200 kilometers west of the island of Sylt in the North Sea. Once commissioned, the platform will convert the alternating current generated by the wind turbines into direct current and transmit it to shore via subsea cables. At an onshore converter station, the electricity will then be converted back into alternating current and fed into the grid. Contact for journalists Christina Huemmer Press Spokesperson Grid Technologies [email protected] +49 152 07158923 Siemens Energy is one of the world's leading energy technology companies. The company works with its customers and partners on energy systems for the future, thus supporting the transition to a more sustainable world. With its portfolio of products, solutions and services, Siemens Energy covers almost the entire energy value chain - from power and heat generation and transmission to storage. The portfolio includes conventional and renewable energy technology, such as gas and steam turbines, hybrid power plants operated with hydrogen, and power generators and transformers. Its wind power subsidiary Siemens Gamesa makes Siemens Energy a global market leader in renewable energies. An estimated one-sixth of the electricity generated worldwide is based on technologies from Siemens Energy. Siemens Energy employs around 105,000 people worldwide in more than 90 countries and generated revenue of €39.1 billion in fiscal year 2025. Read more Read less