Grid operator TenneT has begun preparatory work to bring offshore wind energy from sea to land at the Maasvlakte. From 26 May, contractor NRG (a consortium of Denys, Alsema and Van Vulpen) will carry out six horizontal directional drillings under the dunes, with three more planned after the summer.
The work is part of the grid connection for the IJmuiden Ver Beta and Gamma offshore wind areas. The drillings will create underground boreholes of around 200 metres towards the beach. Plastic casings will be inserted into the boreholes, into which electricity cables will later be pulled.
NRG has prepared the construction sites on both the seaward and landward sides of the dike. The offshore cables, to be installed by Swedish contractor NKT, will run along the seabed to the locations where transformer platforms will be built.
Each cable system will operate at 525,000 volts and include four elements: a positive and a negative pole, a metallic return cable, and a fibre optic line. The metallic return ensures continued partial capacity in case of a cable fault, while the fibre optic line enables remote monitoring and control of the unmanned offshore platforms.
Installation of the sea cables is scheduled for next year. They will be buried metres deep beneath the beach and connected underground behind the dunes to the onshore infrastructure currently under construction.
