The offshore transformer station of the Hollandse Kust (zuid) Alpha platform is installed on the jacket in the North Sea, about 20 kilometers off the coast of The Hague, The Netherlands.The transformer station, also called topside, is one of the two topsides of the Hollandse Kust (zuid) offshore grid, which will connect the offshore wind farm area with the same name to the Dutch onshore high-voltage grid.
Over the past year, contractor Petrofac has been working on the fabrication of two High Voltage Alternating Current (HVAC) transformer stations Alpha and Beta at the Drydocks World fabrication yard in Dubai. Mid-November, Mammoet took care of the weighing and loading of the 3,830-tonne Alpha topside onto the transport vessel Tai An Kou. From Dubai, the Tai An Kou sailed in one month to the Alexiahaven on the Maasvlakte, where it arrived on Tuesday December 21st.
In the Alexiahaven, the Alpha topside was loaded from the transport vessel onto the multipurpose platform installation and removal vessel Pioneering Spirit of offshore company Allseas, which then sailed to the installation location in the North Sea. After completion of preparatory work, Pioneering Spirit accurately positioned the Alpha topside on the jacket. The Beta topside - also with a capacity of 700 MW - is expected to follow in the first quarter of next year.
