GE Vernova, Seatrium Construct HVDC System to Support TenneT’s Offshore Grid

A consortium of GE Vernova and Seatrium Ltd. received a contract from TenneT to build a 2 GW HVDC electric offshore transmission system in the Netherlands, with work to begin in June 2024 and commissioning slated for 2031. This is the third contract under a five-year framework cooperation agreement (FCA) announced in March 2023 between TenneT and the consortium.

“With the successful call-off of Nederwiek 2 from the FCA with our partners GE Vernova and Seatrium, we are now starting into the delivery of the third project with this consortium,” said Johannes Kammer, Associate Director of Large Projects Offshore, TenneT. “We are pleased with the progress we made already in the first two projects with these partners. Now we experience the benefits of using the works from the initial two projects on the next one as we design one and build it many times.”

TenneT will leverage the HVDC transmission system to connect 40 GW of offshore wind energy in the German and Dutch North Sea, serving the Nederwiek 2 offshore wind farm located approximately 95 km off the Netherlands’ coast. In addition to the Nederwiek farm, the framework agreement covers two more projects valued at nearly €2 billion each: IJmuiden Ver Beta and Ijmuiden Ver Gamma.

"We are pleased to partner with TenneT and GE Vernova to deliver this transformative offshore wind solution. This project underscores our commitment to helping our customers achieve their renewable energy goals by providing innovative and cost-effective solutions that help accelerate the energy transition,” said Samuel Wong, Executive Vice President, Fixed Platforms at Seatrium. “With valuable experience from working on the first two platforms, we are confident of delivering a high-quality end product to our customer, as well as achieving greater synergies through project repeatability in our series-build strategy with the One Seatrium Global Delivery Model.”

GE Vernova’s Grid Solutions business will conduct the engineering, procurement, construction, installation, and commissioning (EPCI) of HVDC converter stations while Seatrium will handle the EPCI and transportation work of the 2 GW HVDC offshore converter platform.

Rendering of 2 GW HVDC platform; Image Credits: TenneT

The Grid Solutions segment and TECO Electric and Machinery Co. broke ground on a technology installation project in May 2024 for two substations in Taiwan: ZhangGong Step-Up Substation and YongXing Switchyard. The Taiwan Power Co.’s substations will have two GE Vernova ±200 Mvar STATCOM (static synchronous compensator) systems and transformers.

The installed STATCOMs connect with 161 kV transmission lines and will facilitate the integration of renewable energy and enhance the grid stability within Taiwan. GE Vernova’s grid solution is a type of flexible AC transmission system capable of regulating voltage and reactive power during times of increased renewable energy usage.

GE Vernova was also awarded multi-million-dollar orders in February from the Power Grid Corp. of India (PGCIL) to supply 765 kV shunt reactors to several transmission projects in India. Through these projects, PGCIL will integrate renewable energy into the national electricity grid and enhance electricity transmission within India, specifically in regions such as Rajasthan and Karnataka.

These reactor orders will be executed through GE T&D India, a listed entity of GE Vernova’s Grid Solutions business in India. GE T&D provides the equipment package, including design, engineering, manufacturing, testing, construction, and commissioning of the 765 kV-class reactors at designated transmission substations. Shunt reactors will be manufactured at the entity’s Vadodara plant and are scheduled for delivery in 2025 and 2026.