Hitachi Energy wins order from Amprion
Hitachi Energy has signed contracts worth over €2 billion with German TSO Amprion to deliver four converter stations for two HVDC links that will support Germany’s energy transition.
Image credit: Hitachi Energy
Germany: Hitachi Energy has signed contracts worth over €2 billion with German transmission system operator (TSO) Amprion to deliver four converter stations for two high-voltage direct current (HVDC) links that will support Germany’s clean energy transition. The orders follow the capacity reservation agreement signed in September 2023, under which Hitachi Energy was selected as the preferred supplier for four converter stations to be built at the grid connection points in Heide, Wilhelmshaven, Polsum, and Hamm. The links, known as V48 and V49, form Korridor B, a high-power transmission highway that will bring clean energy from onshore and offshore wind farms in the North, helping replace the conventional generation currently used to power the industrial load centers in the West.
“Grids are crucial to Germany’s clean energy transition. Without the grid capacity to move wind energy from the north to areas that are still highly reliant on fossil fuels in the south and west, the country cannot achieve decarbonization within the targeted timeframe,” Niklas Persson, Managing Director of Hitachi Energy’s Business Unit Grid Integration, commented.
Korridor B comprises two underground cable connections, each with two converter stations, which transport electricity from the North Sea coast in Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony to the Ruhr region. Each cable system will transmit 2 GW, enough to provide power to 4 million people. If needed, the capacity can be increased by another 4 GW via additionally laid empty lines.
Under the contracts, Hitachi Energy will supply, install, and commission two HVDC Light® converter systems able to transmit 2 GW of power. They will operate at 525 kV, the voltage level adopted as the standard for the latest generation of HVDC links. The converter stations are set to start operation in early 2030.
Source: Hitachi Energy