Energinet and Elia launch tender for new North Sea interconnector

Danish and Belgian transmission system operators (TSOs) Energinet and Elia have issued a contract notice seeking environmental engineering consultancy services for the development of the subsea cable route for a new interconnector project in the North Sea.

Elia and Energinet are developing the Triton Link interconnector project which will connect the high-voltage grids of Belgium and Denmark through two energy islands in the North Sea.

The two Energy Islands will be constructed as artificial island solutions, hosting all required infrastructure to connect offshore wind farms to the islands and further on to an electrical grid.

The scope of this tender is covering the part of the project from the Danish Energy Island, through the Modular Offshore Grid II (MOG II) energy island in Belgian waters, including the route to the Belgian shore and landfall in Belgium.

The cable connections from the Danish Energy Island to the Danish shores are not part of this tender package.

The tender covers route development, permit planning, and support during consultation throughout the whole project up to the Final Investment Decision (FID). Furthermore, the scope covers support during the route survey and sampling campaign preparation and implementation phases.

The total value of the contract is €400,000 excluding VAT. The duration is 48 months, with no options for renewal.

Interested parties have until 20 January 2023 to submit their bids.

Since this joint procurement involves different countries, the state applicable national procurement law is that of Denmark.

The North Sea Energy Island will be an artificial island constructed 80 kilometres from the shore of the peninsula Jutland.

Around 200 wind turbines with a combined capacity of 3 GW are expected to be installed in the first phase of the project. At maximum capacity of 10 GW, the hub will be able to power 10 million European households with clean energy from its surrounding wind farms.

Elia’s energy island, which will handle up to 3.5 GW of offshore wind power, was given the green light by the country’s Council of Ministers in October 2021.

Completion of the island is expected mid-2026. From 2026-2027, Elia will start the construction of the electrical infrastructure to connect offshore wind and allow for DC interconnections.