Hitachi Energy wins over €2 billion order from Amprion
Hitachi Energy has signed contracts totalling over EUR 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.
These orders follow the capacity reservation agreement signed in September last year, 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, a press release reads.
The HVDC 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 to replace the conventional power generation currently used to power the industrial load centres in the West.
Korridor B comprises two new 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 underground cable system will transmit 2 gigawatts (GW), enough to provide power to 4 million people. If needed, the transmission 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 capable of transmitting 2 GW of power. The converters will operate at 525 kilovolts (kV), the voltage level adopted as the standard for the latest generation of HVDC links. The converter stations are scheduled to start operation in early 2030.
The latest contracts with Amprion is set to create several hundred jobs in Germany for project implementation and execution and in Sweden for the manufacture of power electronics solutions to support the project.
