TenneT installs 'Socket' for West Beta wind farm off Egmond aan Zee coast

By: Chloe Emanuel

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22/05/2024 TenneT

Over the past Pentecost weekend, TenneT successfully installed the undercarriage (jacket) for the Hollandse Kust (west Beta) transformer platform off the North Holland coast. The superstructure (topside) will be added next year, allowing wind farm operator RWE/OranjeWind to connect the future wind farm to this 'socket at sea.'

The jacket, a 49 metre high steel structure weighing over 2,100 tons, was transported from Vlissingen to its offshore location, 53 kilometres from Egmond aan Zee, on a floating pontoon. It was then lifted and placed on the seabed by the lifting vessel Sleipnir from Heerema Marine Contractors.

To ensure stability, the jacket was anchored using piles driven more than 50 metres into the seabed, secured with cement for added durability against North Sea storms. Before installation, the site was checked for WWII explosives, and a stone bed was laid to prevent erosion.

Special equipment was installed to measure and adjust the jacket's alignment, ensuring the topside will be level when installed. Temporary navigation lights were also placed for maritime safety.

Contractor NBOS (Boskalis/Orient Cable) is currently laying sea cables from Velsen beach, connecting the socket to the electricity grid by 2025. This set up will eventually channel 700 MW of renewable energy, equivalent to the annual consumption of one million households, into the high-voltage grid via Wijk aan Zee.

TenneT’s 'socket at sea' will support the wind farm being developed by RWE/OranjeWind, with construction by Equans/Smulders.


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About the Author

4C Offshore | Chloe Emanuel
Chloe Emanuel

Press Coordinator

01502 307037 chloe.emanuel@tgs.com
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