The Hollandse Kust (noord) offshore wind substation has been officially taken over by the Dutch grid operator TenneT following the installation and hook-up offshore the Netherlands.
In March 2020, TenneT awarded the joint venture EQUANS-Smulders the contract for the engineering, procurement, construction, offshore installation, connection and testing of the offshore transformer station for the Hollandse Kust (noord) wind farm zone. The joint venture is also the Contractor for TenneT’s Hollandse Kust (west Alpha), and the Hollandse Kust (west Beta) platform.
The Hollandse Kust (noord) platform, which will help bring offshore wind power-generated electricity to land, is the first of three projects for TenneT completed by the joint venture Equans and Smulders.
The construction of the Hollandse Kust (west Alfa) and west Beta) platforms is currently ongoing and is planned to be completed by the end of 2023 and the middle of 2025 respectively.
Hans Schipper, Joint Venture Project Manager HKN platform: "We are very proud that this important milestone for the project has been reached, and a high-quality platform has been safely delivered. As we realize that the majority of the works was accomplished during the COVID-19 period, this could only be achieved in an atmosphere of very good cooperation between the teams of TenneT, the Joint Venture teams, HV equipment suppliers, Bureau Veritas and Subcontractors. The expertise of TenneT in these highly standardized 700 MW offshore transformer stations, in combination with the wide experience of the Joint Venture in developing offshore transformer stations over the last decades, has resulted in this successful project conclusion. We are therefore more than confident that the HKwA and HKwB projects will be successfully concluded as well.”
Guus Siteur, project lead HKN platform at TenneT:"Starting off the journey with the EQUANS-Smulders joint venture 3 years ago, TenneT is pleased and confident to take over and start operating the Hollandse Kust (noord) offshore platform. This is the result of good cooperation and partnership between all parties involved. A lot of hard work has led to a timely delivery of this high quality project.”
Environmental Consciousness High on Agenda
According to the joint venture that built the substation, environmental consciousness was high on the agenda of the partners.
"The joint venture did work with the shortest possible chain from raw material to installation. Steel and corrosion protection systems were only purchased from European suppliers with an Environmental Product Declaration and all steel constructions and outfitting were executed in Belgium and the Netherlands. Furthermore, the substructure of the platform was outfitted with ecofriendly solutions such as the so called “fish hotels”. Eco blocks and reef balls were installed on the scour bed underneath the platform," the joint venture said in a statement.
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