Following a European tender procedure, TenneT TSO B.V. has selected Petrofac to construct an offshore transformer station (platform) for the Hollandse Kust (zuid) Alpha wind farm zone. Petrofac is also the preferred contractor for TenneT’s next offshore project, the Hollandse Kust (zuid) Beta platform.
These two platforms will be part of the third and fourth large-scale grid connections for offshore wind energy in the Netherlands to be constructed under the National Energy Agreement.
About the platforms
Petrofac will undertake the engineering, construction, transport, installation, connection and testing of the offshore transformer station.
Artist’s impression of an offshore transformer (sub)station in the Dutch sector of the North Sea. Image credit: TenneT
The Hollandse Kust (zuid) Alpha platform will have a connection capacity of 700 MW for offshore wind farms and is scheduled for completion in 2021. The Beta platform (also 700 MW) is expected to be completed by 2022.
TenneT has been officially designated as the offshore grid operator in the Netherlands, and will contribute to the implementation of the National Energy Agreement by developing offshore grid connections with a total capacity of at least 3,500 MW during the period until 2023. These connections will be constructed in accordance with a standardized concept and will have a capacity of 700 MW each. The tender procedure for the subsea cables and platforms for the Hollandse Kust (noord) project will start towards the end of 2018.
In accordance with the new Roadmap for Offshore Wind Energy, a further 7,000 MW of offshore wind energy capacity will be constructed and connected to the grid in the 2024-2030 period.
Subsea Cables
Image credit: TenneT
The total length of the route section from the onshore station at Maasvlakte to the Hollandse Kust (zuid) Alpha offshore transformer station (i.e. the ‘platform’) is approx. 48 kilometres. The offshore grid connection consists of two 220 kV subsea cables with a capacity of 350 MW each. A call for tenders has been issued for the delivery and installation of onshore and subsea cables for the Hollandse Kust (zuid) Alpha and Beta wind farm zones. The contracts are expected to be awarded in the summer of 2018
