This week, the first construction work for Dutch TSO TenneT’s offshore grid connection (Net op Zee) IJmuiden Ver Alpha project has started in the Dutch province of Zeeland. This moment also marks the official start of TenneT’s 2GW Programme.
This Tuesday, contractor Dura Vermeer started with the piling activities for the converter station in Borssele. Over the next few months, Dura Vermeer will work on the foundation piles. The longest piles, around 750, will be drilled into the ground during the summer period. From early September, the remaining, about 1,900, foundation piles will follow. This work will take approximately until December, TenneT reports in the construction app (Bouwapp) for the project.
This converter station is only one part of the Net op Zee IJmuiden Ver Alpha project. The project realises an underground high-voltage substation from the IJmuiden Ver Alpha offshore wind farm, via the Veerse Meer to the existing high-voltage substation in Borssele. The overall project will be completed by 2029.
2GW Programme
Together with market parties, TenneT has developed a new 2GW standard to accelerate the roll-out of offshore wind. The new standard aims to further reduce offshore wind costs and minimise spatial and environmental impact. The new 2GW standard will more than double the capacity compared to the previous 900 MW HVDC standard and almost triple that of the 700 MW AC standard.
The new transmission standard supports the essential next step towards larger offshore wind farms and a North Sea-wide European Hub-and-Spoke system – a combination of wind power connection, linking energy markets through interconnection and smart integration into key onshore grids. As part of this development, the Dutch IJmuiden Ver projects will be hub-ready to connect a future multi-purpose interconnector (WindConnector) to the UK. Source: TenneT (LinkedIn)
