Offshore grid operator TenneT has selected the Van Oord-Hellenic Cables consortium to connect the Hollandse Kust (South) Alpha and Beta offshore platforms to the Dutch onshore grid.
Two wind farms with a joint capacity of 700MW are under construction in the Hollandse Kust (South) wind farm zone, 22 kilometres off the coast of the Dutch Province of South Holland.
The scope of work for the Van Oord-Hellenic Cables consortium for the 700MW Alpha project covers the design, the manufacture of 220kV cables, the cable-laying operation, and connecting the wind farm to the Maasvlakte high-voltage station.
The 42-kilometre-long connection will run from the Alpha substation to the onshore station located at the Maasvlakte 2 area, Rotterdam.
The Van Oord-Hellenic Cables consortium will also deliver and install cables for the Hollandse Kust (South) Beta project. This assignment includes manufacturing and laying a 66kV marine cable between the Alpha and Beta platforms. The Hollandse Kust (South) Alpha grid connection must be ready by 2021, and the Beta in 2022.
”Offshore wind is an important part of the transition to sustainable energy in the Netherlands. This major offshore grid connection will bring wind energy to end users. We are excited to take on this project for TenneT with our partner Hellenic Cables,” Pieter van Oord , CEO of Van Oord, said.
TenneT has officially been appointed as offshore grid operator in the Netherlands, and will develop -as a contribution to the Energy Agreement- at least 3,500MW of offshore-connections until 2023; all with a standardised concept of 700MW per connection.
Manon van Beek , CEO of TenneT, said: “With this new tender for the offshore grid, we are again, according to the Energy Agreement, taking an important next step towards more sustainable electricity production at sea. TenneT, and thus the Netherlands, is well on track with the realisation of connections for an additional 3.5 GW of extra offshore wind farms, and a total of 4.5 GW in 2023.”