Course set for converter platform construction
In future, converter platforms for offshore wind farms will be built by the private sector on part of the naval arsenal shipyard in Warnemünde. Federal Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius (SPD) himself gave the green light for the project in Warnemünde in September. And on Wednesday morning, the minister will once again visit the Warnowwerft shipyard, where a key points paper will be presented and signed. Neptun Werft, part of the Meyer Group, and the Belgian steel constructor Smulders want to set up a joint venture for the project.
In September, Pistorius spoke of a good day for the Bundeswehr, the Warnowwerft shipyard, energy policy and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The contractual useful life of the site is to be 15 years with a return agreement. The federal government took over the facility following the insolvency of MV-Werften last year. The Arsenal and its almost 500 employees repair four naval vessels a year as planned.
In the converter platforms, the electricity from various wind turbines is bundled and converted into direct current for onward transmission to the coast with as little loss as possible. According to the German government, 33 converter platforms are expected to be needed for the German market alone between 2026 and 2045, each costing up to two billion euros. There is currently only one large production site in Spain.
It is hoped that the establishment of private companies will create several hundred jobs. Smulders had already signaled its interest last year. And with Neptun Werft, a shipbuilding company with a long tradition is joining the project, which has its site right next door on the Warnow, where river cruise ships are built, among other things. An order for ten such ships was announced just last week.
The establishment of the joint venture between Neptun Werft and Smulders for the converter platform project in Warnemünde is expected to boost the local shipbuilding industry, potentially providing numerous jobs in defense and energy sectors. The defense ministry's commitment to this project could also foster collaborations between the Bundeswehr and the private sector in renewable energy projects.
Source: www.dpa.com
