TenneT ready for development of offshore electricity grid in the Netherlands

• Electricity transmission operator establishes new Offshore Netherlands department within TenneT offshore organization
• Marco Kuijpers appointed as Senior Manager of new department
• Preparations for offshore grid development plan already underway to ensure successful development of offshore wind energy in Dutch part of the North Sea

Arnhem, The Netherlands, 13 October 2014 – TenneT has established a new Offshore Netherlands department dedicated to the development of an offshore electricity grid in the Dutch part of the North Sea. In June of this year, Minister Kamp of Economic Affairs took the guiding decision to appoint TenneT as the sole operator of the offshore electricity grid under law. This decision cleared the way for the establishment of a dedicated department. Marco Kuijpers (46) will lead the new Offshore Netherlands department.

In his previous position at TenneT, Marco Kuijpers was responsible for the preparations and negotiations for the BritNed project, a 1,000 MW subsea cable linking the Netherlands to the United Kingdom. He was also involved in a number of major onshore projects in the Netherlands. Before joining TenneT, Marco Kuijpers was a managing partner at the consultancy firm Twynstra Gudde. In this role, he was involved in a variety of wind energy and offshore construction projects.

TenneT CEO Mel Kroon commented: “We are bringing together knowledge, skills and experience in this new department in our offshore organization, to ensure that offshore wind farms are connected to TenneT’s onshore high-voltage grid as efficiently as possible. The Netherlands wants to construct offshore wind farms with a total capacity of 4,500 MW by 2023. Close collaboration with offshore wind farm developers is essential to achieving this highly ambitious aim. The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs recently announced the sites where wind farms can be constructed and in what sequence they should be built. Our dedicated team can now set to work on drawing up an offshore grid development plan and undertaking other essential preparations for obtaining the required permits and putting the projects out to tender."