TenneT and IJmuiden Ver Alpha Wind Farm owners sign Realisation Agreement for grid connection

Dutch TSO TenneT and the Noordzeker consortium of Dutch pension fund ABP, pension investor APG and SSE Renewables have signed a Realisation Agreement for the Dutch offshore grid connection of IJmuiden Ver Alpha wind farm.

The Realisation Agreement enables the development and construction of the physical grid infrastructure required to connect the 2 GW wind farm, to be built over 60 kilometres off the Dutch coast, to the Dutch high voltage grid.

Generated electricity from the wind farm will come ashore in Borssele and will be converted to alternating current at a converter station so that the power can be transported on the high-voltage grid to end users. TenneT’s offshore grid connection is expected to be operational by the end of 2029.

Nature enhancement

The consortium of ABP/APG and SSE Renewables won the tender for the development of the IJmuiden Ver Alpha wind farm in June 2024. The tender criteria for this lot focused on making a positive contribution to nature. The consortium proposed a diverse package of measures to mitigate the impact on ecology, and increase biodiversity. Also, in collaboration with Naturalis Biodiversity Center, ABP/APG and SSE Renewables will investigate and monitor how wind farms can contribute to protecting and strengthening the ecosystem.

First offshore wind farm with 2GW connection

The IJmuiden Ver Alpha wind farm will be the first offshore wind farm to be connected by TenneT according to the new 2GW direct current standard, and is expected to be commissioned by the end of this decade. 

Between 2018 and 2023, TenneT realised an offshore grid connection system of 700 MW each year. In total, the Netherlands currently has 4.7GW of installed offshore wind capacity. By 2032, the Netherlands aims to achieve 21GW of energy from offshore wind. IJmuiden Ver Alpha would be the first wind farm to be connected according to the new 2GW standard. This will use a 2 gigawatt direct current connection. That corresponds to three times the consumption of Amsterdam. Direct current leads to lower transmission losses for longer distances and higher power. In addition, this new standard ensures that fewer cables and fewer platforms at sea and stations on land are needed, reducing the demand on scarce space. Source: TenneT

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