Ramboll Danmark A/S has won a contract to provide a detailed design of the Offshore SwitchYard (OSY) platform for the Modular Offshore Grid project being developed by Belgian transmission system operator Elia.
The OSY platform will be situated up to 45 kilometres off Belgian North Sea coast, in water depths between 30m-35m.
The detailed design scope comprises but is not limited to a detailed design of a 4-leg substructure, piles, topsides, all relevant cable interfaces, platform process utilities, HV/LV Elia interfaces, 2nd layer grillage, load out interface, offshore transportation and installation interfaces, vendor equipment and suppliers interfaces, onshore and offshore commissioning, hook-up, and start up interfaces, all to ensure a fully completed project ready for startup.
The detailed design phase is scheduled for 2017, with onshore construction starting in 2018, and offshore construction in 2019.
The Modular Offshore Grid project is aimed at connecting offshore wind farms to a high-voltage substation located on the offshore platform, which will, in turn, be connected to the onshore grid.
In the long term, the modular grid infrastructure is planned to be connected to an international platform using direct-current connections, in order to transmit greater quantities of power over longer distances.
Some of Belgium’s neighbouring countries, like the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, are also working to develop grids in their territorial waters in the North Sea.
These resources could be used in the event of there being insufficient wind in the North Sea. The connections will also allow wind power to be stored in dedicated infrastructure when a surplus of energy is generated.