TenneT has signed framework agreements for the future supply of Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) with Alstom Grid Netherlands, and the supply of power transformers with CG Power Systems Belgium, for the Dutch offshore power grid.
This equipment will form the ‘heart’ of five offshore platforms that will transmit the power from five new wind locations to the high voltage grid on land.
TenneT has been designated as the Dutch offshore grid operator, developing the offshore grid. 3,500 megawatts of new offshore wind energy are to be connected to the onshore high voltage grid before 2023.
The project includes the construction of the five offshore platforms – two for the Borssele wind farm area, two for the Dutch Coast South wind farm area and one for the Dutch Coast North wind farm area.
Each platform is equipped with two 230/66/66 kV /400 MVA power transformers, one 66 kV GIS and one 230 kV GIS. The first two power transformers and GIS systems will be in operation after the summer of 2019, on the Borssele Alpha platform.
”The power transformers and the GIS are the heart of our platforms, and they are the first parts we buy for the offshore grid. With the framework agreement in place for all platforms, we have taken a major step towards standardisation. As a result, we have the same equipment on every platform, we can optimise the size of the platform and we can, for example, save on maintenance and spare parts,” Marco Kuijpers, senior manager for Offshore NL at TenneT, said.