Cable Laying for Two Dutch Offshore Wind Grid Connections Begins with 525 kV Submarine Cables

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 28, Dutch transmission system operator TenneT advanced two offshore wind grid connection projects, IJmuiden Ver Alpha and Nederwiek 1, launching the installation of 525 kV high-voltage cables in the Veerse Meer in Zeeland. Prysmian is responsible for cable supply, while DEME handles on-site installation. The construction uses a specially developed floating work platform and a high-pressure water jet burial technique, and is scheduled to continue until spring 2027.

The two connections will each have 4 cables laid in the waters of the Veerse Meer, including 2 high-voltage transmission cables, 1 spare cable and 1 fiber-optic communication cable. The cables are produced at Prysmian's factory in Finland, with the high-voltage power cables measuring approximately 16 cm in diameter and weighing about 67 kg per meter. DEME has configured a dedicated floating construction platform for the project, equipped with cable carousels and associated installation equipment capable of handling high-voltage cables, spare cables and fiber-optic cables simultaneously.

The lakebed construction uses a vertical laying method, in which high-pressure water jets temporarily loosen the sand layer beneath the cable, allowing it to sink to a position at least 3 meters below the lakebed surface. As the construction platform moves forward, the sand resettles and covers the cable. TenneT is applying this technique to the 525 kV cable construction in these inland waters; the approach reduces conventional dredging operations and limits water turbidity and disturbance to the aquatic environment of the lake.

The route makes landfall at Baanjaard beach near Kamperland, then passes beneath the Veerse Sea dike and runs through the Veerse Meer to Borssele. Two onshore converter stations are under construction locally, serving the two offshore wind grid connection projects respectively, and are responsible for converting 525 kV direct current to 380 kV alternating current before feeding it into TenneT's national high-voltage transmission network.

The lakebed laying work is scheduled for completion in spring 2027. During construction, temporary access restrictions may apply to some navigation channels and jetties in the Veerse Meer, and construction safety zones will be established in the work areas. The construction schedule takes summer water sports and tourism activities into account, with normal recreational use of the lake planned to resume in summer 2027.