50Hertz awards Siemens Energy, NSORe offshore converter contract

BERLIN, June 17 (Reuters) - German power grid operator 50Hertz has commissioned a consortium of Siemens Energy and Neptun Smulders Offshore Renewables to build an offshore converter system linking North Sea wind farms to Germany's electricity grid, the company said on Wednesday.

The project marks the first time offshore converter platforms built to the new two-gigawatt standard will be manufactured primarily in Germany, with key components to be produced in Rostock-Warnemuende.

"This contract is a strong and encouraging signal for Germany. It shows the potential of our industry and the capabilities of Germany as a business location," German Economy Minister Katherina Reiche said, adding that only a few suppliers worldwide can build two-gigawatt offshore converter platforms.

The initial contract covers one offshore platform and one onshore converter station and 50Hertz said talks were continuing over a second converter system.

If concluded, the total order volume for NSORe alone would come to around €2.5 billion ($2.7 billion), mainly for production and services in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, creating more than 500 long-term jobs.

NSORe is a joint venture between Meyer Werft's Neptun Werft and Belgian steel construction company Smulders.

(Reporting by Maria Martinez and Holger Hansen, Editing by Madeline Chambers)