The installation of underground electricity cables at the Maasvlakte industrial and port area in Rotterdam, which will connect three new offshore wind sites to the Dutch grid, is inching toward completion.
Following the final drilling operation, the remainder of the cables will be installed, with all onshore cables projected to be in place by 2027, Dutch government-owned transmission system operator (TSO) TenneT has shared.
The last horizontal drilling will take place near the Coloradoviaduct on the N15, along the cable route between the Amaliahaven high-voltage substation and the converter station for IJmuiden Ver Beta.
The onshore cables will serve the IJmuiden Ver Beta, IJmuiden Ver Gamma as well as the Nederwiek 2 offshore grid connections, where each one will bring approximately 2 GW of electricity ashore.
With a total of 6 GW, the offshore wind farms at the three grid-connected areas will have a generating capacity equivalent to six large gas-fired power stations, according to TenneT.
Electricity from the offshore wind farms will be transported to Maasvlakte as direct current (DC). At the stations, it will be converted into alternating current (AC).
From the Amaliahaven high-voltage substation, the electricity will be transmitted further inland and to new grid connections in the Port of Rotterdam, the largest seaport serving Europe.
When the installation of the underground ducts is wrapped up, electricity cables will be pulled through the ducts, with the work expected to take place in the early months of next year.
Per TenneT, work elsewhere along the route has progressed further.
Different sections of the underground connection are being brought together, while joint bays and individual cable sections are connected to form a continuous link.
"We are now seeing the different parts of the project come together," Patrick Bakelaar, who is the Stakeholder Manager for project contractor NRG, said.
"Once the final cables have been installed and connected, the installation work will be largely complete. We will then focus on clearing the temporary work sites and reinstating the surrounding areas,” Bakelaar said.
The offshore grid connections being developed by TenneT at Maasvlakte form part of TenneT’s 2 GW programme, via which the TSO plans to deliver thirteen connections in the Dutch and German sectors of the North Sea.
TenneT had picked the GE Vernova–Seatrium consortium for the building of the offshore converter platforms late this summer.
Back in 2023, TenneT penned multiyear agreements worth EUR 23 billion for the delivery of eleven 2 GW grid connections.