Offshore high voltage substation delivered to RWE’s THOR wind farm

HSM Offshore Energy has announced successful yard completion and delivery offshore of the THOR offshore high voltage substation (OHVS) to the THOR wind farm, Denmark’s largest offshore wind project to date.

ThOR is a joint offshore wind project of RWE (51%) and Norges Bank Investment Management (49%).

The THOR OHVS is a critical component of the 1.1GW wind farm, which will be able to supply more than one million Danish households with clean electricity.

Positioned approximately 22km off the west coast of Jutland, the substation will collect and transform power from 72 wind turbines before transmission to the onshore grid at Volder Søndervang.

Awarded in 2022, HSM Offshore Energy was entrusted with the full EPCIC (engineering, procurement, construction, installation, and commissioning) contract, including high voltage equipment for both the topside and jacket foundation.

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According to HSM, a Netherlands-based metal construction company, the announcement marks the achievement of three major milestones: the load-out of the jacket, the load-out of the topside, and the sail-away of the jacket and substation.

The topside measures 39 x 36 x 18 metres (LxBxH) and weighs approximately 2,600 metric tonnes.

The jacket measures 40 x 40 x 50 metres (LxBxH) and weighs approximately 2,500 metric tonnes.

The components have now left the Schiedam yard and are en route to its final destination off the Danish coast.

HSM says in a release that, together, these structures represent both a feat of offshore engineering and a benchmark for design efficiency. According to the company, the THOR OHVS features the best power-to-weight ratio in the industry, making it one of the most compact and effective substations of its kind.

Commenting in a release was Koen Moons, project manager at HSM Offshore Energy: “Delivering the THOR substation from first steel to sail-away has been a highly rewarding and technically complex journey.

“This achievement reflects the deep dedication, expertise, and teamwork across all disciplines, partners and subcontractors. The THOR project demonstrates what’s possible when innovation and integration come together — and it sets a new benchmark for what offshore substations can and should be.”

RWE is in charge of construction and operations throughout the lifecycle of the Thor offshore wind farm.

The project is expected to be fully operational no later than the end of 2027.