First Hollandse Kust (west Beta) export cable in place

The first of two export cables for TenneT’s Hollandse Kust (west Beta) offshore grid connection has been pulled underneath the dunes at Velsen, the Netherlands. In the coming days, the consortium between Boskalis and Orient Cable will bury this 220 kV AC cable into the seabed.

Boskalis’ cable-laying vessel Giant 7 will be utilized for the installation of the first two nearshore pieces of export cable on the cable route.

The ship is equipped with a loading tower, a cable carousel, and Boskalis’ specialist burial sledge tool BSSIII which is used to install the cable at the required depth in the seabed.

Once the vessel has completed the task, the company’s other cable-laying vessel Ndurance will take over its duties and install the remaining kilometers of 220 kV AC cable towards the offshore wind farm, located 53 kilometers off the coast of Egmond aan Zee, according to Boskalis.

In total, the company will be installing two 60-kilometer-long cables, manufactured by Orient Cable.

Following the installation of the export cables, Boskalis will install a 9-kilometer-long 66 kV interconnector cable between TenneT’s Hollandse Kust West Alpha and Hollandse Kust West Beta offshore substations.

A few days ago, the jacket foundation for the Hollandse Kust (west Beta) and the piles left the Smulders yard in Vlissingen.

On a pontoon, the structure is being transported to the offshore wind farm site where it will be installed by Heerema Marine Contractors’ heavy-lift vessel Sleipnir.

The renewable energy produced by RWE’s Oranjewind offshore wind farm will be transported to the mainland through the 700 MW offshore grid connection.