Amprion has postponed the expected completion date of its BalWin1 offshore grid connection system by one year, following discussions with Federal Network Agency. The project is now scheduled to enter operation on 15 September 2031, instead of 16 September 2030. The revised timetable has been approved by the Federal Network Agency under Germany's Energy Industry Act. The developer of the connected offshore wind farm, Windbostel Ost, also supported the request.
According to Amprion, the delay is due to additional work required during the design and manufacturing of the offshore converter platform, as well as challenging ground conditions at the onshore converter station site. These factors have extended the project schedule and cannot be offset by other activities. The company said the revised timetable will not affect other construction work, including installation of the onshore cable route.
The new completion date aligns with the project's original target of 2031. The schedule had previously been brought forward by two years after Germany increased its 2030 offshore wind targets through amendments to the Offshore Wind Energy Act.
The timetable has been coordinated with Windbostel Ost to align the construction schedules of the offshore wind farm and the grid connection.
The delay is also expected to affect the related BalWin2 project. Dragados Offshore and Siemens Energy are building the offshore converter stations for both BalWin1 and BalWin2. Amprion said it will apply for a revised completion date for BalWin2 once an updated project schedule has been finalised.
BalWin1 and BalWin2 will connect offshore wind farms in the North Sea to Germany's onshore transmission network. Each high-voltage direct current (HVDC) connection will have a transmission capacity of 2 GW, providing a combined capacity sufficient to supply electricity to around 4 million people.
The offshore export cables will extend approximately 155 km for BalWin1 and 165 km for BalWin2, making landfall near Hilgenriedersiel after passing beneath the island of Norderney. Onshore cable routes of around 205 km and 215 km, respectively, will then connect to the grid at Wehrendorf (BalWin1) and Westerkappeln (BalWin2).
