Nordic Yards, manufacturer of technologically sophisticated and innovative special ships and maritime structures, starts construction of the second offshore transformer platform for Siemens Energy today at its Wismar yard.
The HelWin alpha platform will be built in separate sections at Wismar and Warnemünde and provide work for up to 450 employees over the course of the project. HelWin alpha is almost identical in design to the BorWin Beta platform, which has been in production at Warnemünde since 2 May 2011.
HelWin alpha will take up position in the eastern North Sea near Helgoland as part of the HelWin1 offshore wind farm project. The platform will convert and transfer up to 576 megawatts of renewable energy from the North Sea East and Meerwind offshore wind farms to the mainland. Topside fabrication starts today at the Wismar yard. This part of the platform stands above the water and carries the transformers. The supporting structure, known as the base frame, will be constructed at Warnemünde. At the same yard, the self-lifting structures to the platform will be attached as well as the equipment and testing be performed.
“Following the successful start of construction of the first transformer platform at the beginning of May, we are delighted to be able to commence work on HelWin alpha,” says Vitaly Yusufov, owner and Managing Director of Nordic Yards. “Over the coming months we shall be working with our client, Siemens Energy, to build and equip the two platforms. Both platforms mark milestones in Nordic Yards’ expertise in the offshore sector.“
Self-lifting platforms like the HelWin alpha eliminate the need to use a heavy-lift vessel for installation. Siemens Energy will install the transformer technology and high voltage equipment on the platform at Nordic Yards’ Warnemünde facility. The platforms will then be moved into the North Sea in late summer 2012 in preparation for handover to Siemens Energy before the end of January 2013 for operating trials.
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Source: NordicYards, May 24, 2011.