The He Dreiht offshore wind farm in the North Sea is designed to supply 900 MW of power, enough to supply over a million homes. This large-scale project is being managed by Dragados Offshore. The BorWin 5 HVDC unit, designed to convert electricity generated at sea (AC) into direct current (DC) and transport it to land via a 120 km subsea and 110 km onshore cable, was assembled at the Puerto Real site in Andalusia (Spain). Sarens was responsible for one of the most complex aspects of the project: transporting the jacket and topside from the plant to the transport barge, a journey of around 1.5 km.
Outstanding logistics
For this operation, one of the most significant in the group's history and a record, the heavy-lift and transport specialist Sarens mobilized 476 SPMT axle lines! The equipment also included 2,000 tonnes of transport wedges, 48 load cells and 500-tonne hydraulic cylinders. The entire system was custom-designed to ensure the stability and safety of the structure, whose outsized dimensions and multiple overhangs required millimeter-accurate planning.
José Mª Martínez, Key Account Manager at Sarens, explains: "This project has enabled us to demonstrate our ability to adapt to all kinds of constraints, thanks to our latest-generation equipment and, above all, to the expertise of our teams in the field. We are ready to surpass the record we set on this project, and to continue to take on strategic projects that contribute to the energy transition in Europe or anywhere else in the world."
Once loaded onto the barge, the convoy left Puerto Real for the North Sea, where the HVDC unit will be installed next to the 64 Vestas V236-15.0 MW turbines at the He Dreiht wind farm. Commissioning is scheduled for late 2025.
Sarens is also involved in the offshore sector, with recent projects at Fécamp, Saint-Nazaire, Saint-Brieuc and the Coastal Virginia wind farm in the United States.
