The offshore connections BalWin1 and BalWin2

In order for Germany to achieve its climate targets, offshore wind farms are to deliver as much power as 40 large coal-fired power plants by 2030. This requires not only new offshore windfarms, but also new cables connecting them to the transmission grid. This is the remit of the BalWin1 and BalWin2 offshore grid connection systems that are planned. To this end, Amprion has been legally mandated to build these grid connection systems from the North Sea to Wehrendorf and Westerkappeln. From the wind farms to the coast, these connections will be run as submarine cables, passing underthe island of Norderney. On land, the installations will be realised as underground cables.

Grid connections in southern Lower Saxony and northern North Rhine-Westfalia

Multiple wind farms are already putting the transmission grid in the coastal region of Lower Saxony under great strain. The Federal Network Agency has therefore decided to relocate the connection points for future wind power connections further inland – including those for BalWin1 (Wehrendorf in southern Lower Saxony) and BalWin2 (Westerkappeln in northern North Rhine-Westphalia). At each of these new connection points, Amprion will build a transformer substation that will serve as the grid connection point for the respective transmission line.

Going into operation in 2029 and 2030

The two offshore grid connection systems will be installed parallel to one another on land and for the most part at sea, too. BalWin1 is an approximately 360 kilometre-long connection, some 155 kilometres of which will be laid at sea. BalWin2 will also have a total route length of around 380 kilometres, with some 165 kilometres at sea. The land sections of both BalWin1 and 2 are planned as underground direct current cables. Each of them has a transmission capacity of 2,000 megawatts, and together they will be able to satisfy the electricity needs of around four million people from offshore wind energy.The grid connection systems will go into service in 2029 (BalWin1) and 2030 (BalWin2).