At the Maasvlakte industrial and port area in Rotterdam, the installation of underground electricity cables is entering its final phase. Following the final drilling operation, the remaining cables will be installed. All onshore cables are expected to be in place by 2027.
The final horizontal directional drilling operation is taking place near the Coloradoviaduct on the N15, along the cable route between the Amaliahaven high-voltage substation and the converter station for IJmuiden Ver Beta. This operation will complete the installation of the underground ducts, through which the electricity cables will subsequently be pulled.
At Amaliahaven and the IJmuiden Ver Beta converter station, contractors are currently preparing for the installation of the final cables. These will then be pulled through the previously installed underground ducts. This work is expected to take place in early 2027.
Elsewhere along the route, work has already progressed further. Different sections of the several-kilometer-long underground connection are now being brought together. In specially constructed joint bays, individual cable sections are connected to form a continuous link. The cables are also being routed into the stations. Step by step, the connection is taking shape.
Connecting offshore wind power to the national grid
The onshore cables will form a link between offshore wind farms in the North Sea and the Dutch high-voltage electricity grid. They will serve the IJmuiden Ver Beta, IJmuiden Ver Gamma and Nederwiek 2 offshore grid connections. Each connection will be capable of bringing up to 2 gigawatts (GW) of electricity ashore. Together, the three connections will have a combined capacity of up to 6 GW, equivalent to the generating capacity of six large gas-fired power stations.
Electricity from the offshore wind farms will arrive at Maasvlakte as direct current (DC). At the converter stations, it will be converted into alternating current (AC), making it suitable for transmission through the Dutch high-voltage grid. From the Amaliahaven high-voltage substation, the electricity will be transmitted further inland and to new grid connections in the Port of Rotterdam area.
Following the installation of the final cables, the temporary work sites will be cleared and reinstated. Contractor NRG is expected to complete its work at Maasvlakte in 2027.