Hitachi Energy, a market and technology leader in transmission, distribution and grid automation solutions, and Petrofac, a leading international service provider to the energy industry, have begun a collaboration to provide grid integration and associated infrastructure to support the rapidly growing offshore wind market.
According to the World Forum Offshore Wind, the sector is undergoing unprecedented growth globally. In 2021, a record 15,7 GW of capacity was added, compared to around 5,2 GW per year in 2020 and 2019.
The collaboration between Hitachi Energy and Petrofac builds on the complementary core technologies and expertise of both companies in offshore wind. It aims to support the decarbonisation of power systems and deliver clean energy and covers both HVDC and HVAC solutions.
Hitachi Energy’s HVDC Light® and modular HVAC grid technologies and solutions and Petrofac’s world-class engineering, procurement, construction and installation capabilities for offshore platforms and offshore and onshore civil works will bring considerable benefits to the efficient implementation of offshore wind projects and help accelerate the energy transition.
“We are delighted to collaborate with Petrofac to help meet the growing need for large-scale offshore wind generation and deliver clean renewable electricity to consumers. As leaders in our respective fields, this collaboration will create added value for our customers and help accelerate the energy transition,” said Niklas Persson, Managing Director of Hitachi Energy’s Grid Integration business. “Our HVDC and HVAC solutions are key enablers of the transition to a global energy system that is more sustainable, flexible and secure.”
“Offshore wind plays a crucial role in the transition to clean, affordable energy and we’ve been successfully delivering major projects in the sector for more than a decade now,” said Elie Lahoud, Chief Operating Officer, Engineering & Construction of Petrofac. “Hitachi Energy is well known for its long track record in providing innovative technologies and solutions across the power grid value chain. We look forward to bringing our industry-leading experience and deep domain knowledge together, to benefit our customers and power millions more homes using renewable energy.”
Recent Hitachi Energy HVDC offshore wind projects include Dogger Bank, the world’s largest offshore wind farm off the UK coast, and four of the DolWin and BorWin HVDC hubs that connect multiple wind farms in the North Sea to the German power grid.
Hitachi Energy is also a global leading supplier of grid connection solutions for the AC offshore wind farms industry.
Hitachi Energy pioneered HVDC almost 70 years ago and has delivered more than half of the world’s HVDC projects and more than 70% of the world’s voltage source converter (HVDC Light) installations. HVDC Light is the technology of choice for transferring power over long distances from offshore wind farms to the mainland grid. Its defining features include uniquely compact converter stations (which is extremely important in space-critical applications like offshore wind platforms), exceptionally low electrical losses of less than 1%, and black-start capability to restore power after a grid outage.
Contact Tamara Naidoo, Hitachi Energy, Phone 010 202-5093, tamara.naidoo@hitachienergy.com , https://www.hitachienergy.com
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