NKT and Prysmian are to install five 525 kV XLPE HVDC cable connections for Dutch 2 GW projects to be completed between 2028 and 2030.
In the Esbjerg Declaration in May 2022 at the North Sea Energy Summit, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Belgium agreed to jointly install at least 65 GW of offshore wind energy by 2030. Transmission system operator TenneT will account for almost two-thirds of this with 40 GW, 20 GW in each of the German and Dutch North Seas.
Recent geopolitical developments have underlined the need to invest in electricity transmission, to ensure energy security by accelerating the energy transition. TenneT's innovative 2GW programme plays a crucial role in managing the energy transition from offshore and ‘will help Europe become the world's first climate-neutral continent’. This new standard combines TenneT’s expertise in offshore grid connections with a unique transnational approach that could provide a blueprint for future offshore grid connection systems and enables faster deployment.
The awarding of the world’s first 525 kV XLPE HVDC offshore cable connections systems for five Dutch 2 GW projects is the next step in realising the new 2 GW standard. In the next months, TenneT expects to announce the partners for the Framework agreements for suppliers for the projects and partners for the Framework agreement for cable connections of other 2 GW projects.
NKT will realise the cable connections for IJmuiden Ver Beta, IJmuiden Ver Gamma and Nederwiek 2, landing onshore at Maasvlakte (Port of Rotterdam). Prysmian has been awarded a contract for the cable connections of IJmuiden Ver Alpha and Nederwiek 1, landing onshore at Sloegebied (Zeeland). The scope of work in the contracts includes design, engineering, production, delivery, project management, offshore-, nearshore- and inshore installation of 525 kV HVDC cables and all jointing works in submarine and land sections. The selected parties expect to start activities this year.
Image courtesy of TenneT