World's highest-power offshore trunklines to be laid in Dutch North Sea with $2bn TenneT deals
Netherlands' transmission system operator sets seals on agreements with Prysmian and NKT to install next-generation 'sustainability focused' 525kV HVDC lines to link a first 2GW of wind to land by 2030
What will be the world’s highest-power offshore electricity trunklines are to be laid by Italy’s Prysian and Denmark’s NKT under a €1.8bn ($1.9bn) deal finalised today (Friday) with European transmission system operator (TSO) TenneT, to link some 4GW of future Dutch North Sea wind plant to the grid.
The EPCI (engineering, procurement, construction and installation) contract, which will use 525kV high voltage direct current (HVDC) cables in the next-generation technology’s maiden outing, will see the two contractors install several hundred kilometres of line connecting five projects in the IJmuiden Ver Beta and Nederwiek zones to landing points at Maasvlakte, at the Port of Rotterdam, and Sloegebied in Zeeland.
The award is a key step in TenneT’s so-called ‘2GW Programme’, launched to support the 40GW of transmission capacity the TSO aims to lay to underpin the Esbjerg Declaration in May 2022 – in which Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Belgium agreed to jointly install “at least” 65GW of wind plant at sea by 2030.
“Recent geopolitical developments have again underlined the need to invest in electricity transmission, to ensure energy security by accelerating the energy transition,” said TenneT COO Tim Meyerjürgens.
“By realising the world’s first 525kV XLPE HVDC offshore cable systems to connect 2GW [in] projects, [we] reconfirm [our] commitment to deliver on the joint ambition to develop the North Sea into the green power plant of Europe.”
Prysmian executive vice president for projects, Hakan Ozmen, said: “We are proud… to support of the Dutch ‘Routekaart 2030’ plans to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions and achieve the Netherlands' carbon neutrality targets.
“The implementation of our 525kV HVDC technology for submarine cable systems underlines our ongoing commitment to the energy transition and [will] further reduce the costs of offshore wind power and minimise its environmental impact."
NKT CEO Alexander Kara said: “I am excited that our expertise within 525kV XLPE HVDC technology [has] resulted in NKT being the first power cable manufacturer to apply this technology to sea cables.
“We welcome that TenneT increases the focus on sustainability factors by introducing environmental cost indicators… to reduce the carbon footprint of power cable systems.”
Submarine lines – which will “double the value” of the 320kV DC system currently in service, according to Prysmian – will be manufactured at the Italian’s factories in Pikkala, Finland, and Arco Felice, Italy, while land cables will come out of its facility in Gron, France. A combined Prysmian-NKT fleet, supported by Deme Group vessels, will handle the installation and marine operations, with grid connections slated to be completed between 2028 and 2030.