Meyer Werft Tackles Steel Construction for Offshore Wind Power
Famous for building luxurious cruise ships, Meyer Werft in Papenburg has stumbled upon a new opportunity. The shipyard has secured its first contract for steel construction work on converter platforms required for offshore wind power production. Announced by the shipyard and grid operator Amprion on Wednesday, Meyer Werft will produce around 43,500 tons of steel components for the four grid connection systems DolWin4 and BorWin4, as well as BalWin1 and BalWin2 in the North Sea by spring 2027.
The steel structures will be constructed at the Papenburg site right away. Meyer Werft also plans to build complete converter platforms at its Neptun shipyard in Rostock-Warnemünde, part of the Meyer Group. The company announced this ambitious undertaking last week.
The Amprion order marks a significant milestone for Meyer Werft in its entry into the construction of converter platforms. According to Managing Director Jan Meyer, this successful expansion of their product portfolio secures knowledge and employment at their German shipyards and significantly contributes to Germany's energy transition.
Converter platforms act as intermediaries, collecting electricity from wind farms at sea and converting it into direct current for onward transmission to the coast with minimal loss. Amprion reveals that the four grid connection systems will gradually come online by 2030.
Originally, Amprion had entrusted the Spanish shipyard Dragados and Siemens Energy with building the platforms. The consortium has now delegated parts of the production to Meyer Werft. The first components are expected to be delivered in fall 2024, with the steel pieces then shipped to Spain for assembly.
Meyer Werft's foray into converter platform production could significantly reduce their carbon footprint in shipbuilding by utilizing alternative energies for this process. The converter platforms built by Meyer Werft will play an essential role in Germany's energy transition, effectively transmitting electricity from offshore wind farms with minimal energy loss.
While Meyer Werft primarily focuses on building cruise ships, their contributions to the German energy transition are indirect but notable. Their dedication to sustainable and efficient cruise ship design and operation can contribute to broader efforts in decarbonization by promoting resource efficiency and potentially lowering maritime sector emissions. Additionally, their involvement in developing low-emission energy systems for cruise ships aligns with Germany's overall strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector.
Sources:
Detail enrichment: Meyer Werft's involvement in the production of offshore wind power converter platforms is an intriguing development. While their primary business involves constructing luxury cruise ships like the Excel-class ships for Carnival Cruise Line, Meyer Werft is also exploring environmentally friendly energy systems for cruise ships through their zero4cruise project, focusing on fuel cell technology powered by green methanol.
Meyer Werft's individual role in building offshore wind power converter platforms is not explicitly mentioned in the sources, and it remains unclear if they will continue to work on such projects in the future. Nonetheless, their indirect contributions to Germany's energy transition via innovative cruise ship design and energy systems development serve to reduce greenhouse gases and support a more sustainable maritime sector.
