Hitachi Energy, Petrofac in Offshore Wind Collab
Hitachi Energy and Petrofac have partnered up to provide grid integration and associated infrastructure to support the growing offshore wind market.
In 2021, a record 15.7 gigawatts (GW) of capacity were added, compared to around 5.2 GW per year in 2020 and 2019, according to World Forum Offshore Wind.
“This collaboration builds on the complementary core technologies and expertise of both companies in offshore wind to support the decarbonization of power systems and deliver clean energy. It covers high-voltage direct current (HVDC), as well as high-voltage alternating current (HVAC) solutions,” Hitachi Energy said.
“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,” the company said.
“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 also supplies grid connection solutions for the AC offshore wind farms industry.
Petrofac, mostly referred to as an oilfield services provider, has also built a name for itself in the offshore wind, through the design and fabrication of offshore wind substations, and in 2020 was appointed to design, supply, and install the High Voltage Alternating Current (HVAC) onshore and offshore substations for the Seagreen offshore wind farm project in Scotland.
