TenneT and Vattenfall Pen Hollandse Kust Zuid Grid Agreements

Grid operator TenneT and wind farm developer Vattenfall have signed agreements for the offshore grid connection for the Hollandse Kust Zuid I and II wind farms in the Dutch North Sea.

The agreements relate to the realisation of the connection and the transmission of electricity between Vattenfall’s wind farm and the TenneT Hollandse Kust Zuid Alpha offshore platform.

Vattenfall won this first subsidy free public tender issued by the Dutch government in March 2018.

”This is a big milestone for the project and we’re glad that it is advancing well,” said Gunnar Groebler, Head of BU Wind and member of the EGM of Vattenfall.

”Contracts are signed well ahead of the deadline in March this year. We are looking forward to continue our cooperation with TenneT and materialize this project as a big contribution to the Dutch energy transition.”

Hollandse Kust Zuid offshore grid comprises two transformer platforms at sea, each with a 700MW capacity, two 220kV alternating current cables per platform, a yet-to-be-constructed onshore substation and an expansion of the existing Maasvlakte onshore high voltage substation where offshore wind power is connected to TenneT’s Randstad 380kV Zuidring.

Marco Kuijpers, Senior Manager Offshore Nederland at TenneT: ”This agreement is another fantastic step towards making the Dutch electricity system sustainable. The offshore grid is now really taking shape, first with 1,400 MW in the Borssele wind area, followed by Hollandse Kust Zuid and finally Hollandse Kust Noord in 2023. In the meantime, we’re preparing for the next North Sea projects in consultation with the Ministry of Economic Affairs & Climate.”

TenneT has been officially designated by the Dutch government as offshore grid operator. TenneT is realising grid connections at sea with a total capacity of at least 3,500MW, in accordance with a standardised concept of 700MW per grid connection. The two connections from the Hollandse Kust Zuid offshore grid, which have a joint capacity of 1,400MW, will become operational a year apart, in 2021 and 2022, in accordance with the Energy Agreement.