Dutch state-owned grid operator Tennet has said that the topside of the offshore transformer platform for the Borssele III and IV wind area in the Dutch North Sea is ready for the sailaway.
Dubbed the offshore power socket, Borssele Beta, will provide access to electricity generated by the offshore wind farms Borssele III and IV that are still under construction, and bring it onshore starting in 2020.
The 700 MW offshore station is expected to be operational according to schedule on September 1, 2020.
From that point onwards, the wind farm being constructed approximately 22 km from the coast of the Province of Zeeland by the Blauwwind consortium will be plugged into the Borselle Beta.
The electricity generated by the offshore Borssele III and IV wind farm will subsequently be brought onshore to the high voltage substation in Borssele by means of two 67-kilometer long cables. The platform was built by HSM Offshore in Schiedam (NL).
On Sunday, March 22, the pontoon carrying the topside will sail through the New Waterway in the direction of the Borssele III and IV wind area. At this site, a crane vessel will place the topside on top of the substructure (jacket).
The superstructure (topside) consists of three interior levels (main deck, utility deck, control deck) and an outer deck (roof deck). The topside is 25 meters high, 58 meters long and 32 meters wide. The topside weighs 3,650 tonnes.
Marco Kuijpers, Director Offshore Projects: “With this platform, the offshore grid that TenneT is building in the Dutch North Sea is definitively taking shape. Borssele Beta is the second offshore grid connection built by TenneT. Over the coming eight years we will build a new offshore connection every year. I am proud that we are able to make such a significant contribution to the energy transition in which offshore wind energy plays a crucial role.”
Sandor Gaastra, DG Climate and Energy, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy (EZK): “The construction of the Dutch wind farms in the North Sea is well on track. This is in part due to the coordinated construction of an offshore electricity grid by TenneT. The second ‘offshore power socket’ will transport approximately 2.5% of the electricity used in the Netherlands from the wind farm to the mainland.”