NO-DIG gently brings wind energy ashore
The Balwin 1 and Balwin 2 grid connection systems run from North Sea wind farms under the island of Norderney to the mainland. Together, they have a transmission capacity of 4,000 megawatts – enough green electricity for around four million people. In 2025 and 2026, the protective pipes that will later house the submarine cables will be installed undergound from the centre of the island in a southerly and northerly direction, respectively. Due to the unstable sandy soil in the HDD bore starting area, the TAURUS is used to drive casing pipes into the drillable soil layers for guidance.
Construction work in the dunes and mudflats of Norderney is subject to strict nature conservation restrictions. For noise protection reasons, the TAURUS can only drive the steel pipe casings into the ground within specified time windows. Once the HDD pilot bores through the casings along the cable routes have been completed, the steel pipes will be pulled out and reused in the second construction phase in 2026. This trenchless construction method is gentle on the strictly protected environment, minimises disruption to the many holidaymakers and saves a lot of time: the grid connection systems can be commissioned one resp. two years earlier than planned.
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KEY FACTS
- Norderney / Germany 2025/2026
- Project: Trenchless cable installation for offshore grid connection BalWin1 and Balwin2 in the North Sea
- Application: Power main grid construction
- Method: Pipe ramming for HDD-Assist / Horizontal Directional Drilling
- In use: GRUNDORAM TAURUS / Maxi HHD rigs
