TenneT Advances Final Onshore Cable Construction for 6 GW Offshore Wind

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On November 10, Dutch transmission system operator TenneT disclosed that the onshore cable works for offshore wind at the Maasvlakte industrial area in the Port of Rotterdam have entered the final construction phase. A final horizontal directional drilling operation is underway near the Coloradoviaduct on the N15 highway; once completed, conditions will be in place for pulling the remaining power cables through conduits. Project contractor NRG plans to complete installation of the remaining cables in early 2027, with the entire Maasvlakte onshore construction task expected to be completed in 2027.

The final directional drilling is located on the cable route between the Amaliahaven high-voltage substation and the IJmuiden Ver Beta converter station, with the scope of works being the installation of underground protective ducts. The cables will subsequently be routed through the pre-installed underground ducts and connected to the power facilities at both ends. Currently, the Amaliahaven substation and the Beta converter station have begun preparations for installing the final batch of cables.

Construction progress on other sections of the route is relatively further advanced. Workers are joining cables between different sections in purpose-built cable joint bays, connecting the separately laid sections into a continuous transmission circuit and leading the cables into the relevant substations and converter stations. After the remaining cable installation and jointing are completed, the contractor will also need to remove temporary construction facilities and restore the areas affected by construction.

The Maasvlakte onshore cable system serves three offshore wind transmission links in the North Sea: IJmuiden Ver Beta, IJmuiden Ver Gamma and Nederwiek 2. Each link has a transmission capacity of up to 2 GW, and the three links together can deliver up to 6 GW of power to the Dutch onshore grid. The system is an important part of the Netherlands' North Sea offshore wind grid connection project, undertaking the onshore transmission task after offshore wind power makes landfall.

The three links use direct current (DC) transmission. Power generated by the offshore wind farms is transmitted to the Maasvlakte in DC form and then converted to alternating current (AC) at the converter stations for connection to the Dutch high-voltage transmission network. The power is further transmitted inland via the Amaliahaven high-voltage substation and connected to the new power network in the Rotterdam port area, providing power connection conditions for port industries and other electricity-consuming facilities.