Amprion Delays BalWin1 HVDC Connection to 2031

Amprion has postponed the expected completion date of its BalWin1 offshore grid connection system by one year, with the project now scheduled to enter operation on 15 September 2031 instead of 16 September 2030. The Federal Network Agency approved the revised timetable under Germany's Energy Industry Act following discussions with Amprion and support from Windbostel Ost, the developer of the connected offshore wind farm.

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. Amprion said these factors have extended the project schedule and cannot be offset by other activities, though the revised timetable will not affect other construction work including installation of the onshore cable route.

The new completion date returns the project to its 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.

Impact on BalWin2 Project

The delay is expected to affect the related BalWin2 project, which is now scheduled for 2031. 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. The Dragados Offshore contract calls for the development, build and delivery of the HVDC grid stations for both projects.

Project Specifications and Status

BalWin1 and BalWin2 will connect offshore wind farms in the German North Sea to Germany's onshore transmission network. Each high-voltage direct current 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 kilometres for BalWin1 and 165 kilometres for BalWin2, making landfall near Hilgenriedersiel after passing beneath the island of Norderney. Onshore cable routes of around 205 kilometres and 215 kilometres, respectively, will then connect to the grid at Wehrendorf in North Rhine-Westphalia for BalWin1 and Westerkappeln for BalWin2.

Amprion secured planning approval in June 2025 for both offshore grid connections in the coastal waters of Lower Saxony. Submarine cable laying began in July 2025, and work on the first six of 18 planned boreholes was set to start in summer 2025. Aker Solutions was awarded a contract for BalWin1 in the first quarter of 2025, with construction scheduled to begin in early 2026 and deliveries in 2028 and 2029. The date revision followed the recent award of the final major implementation contracts for the projects.