Offshore staff
DELFT, the Netherlands – Allseas’ heavy lift vessel Pioneering Spirit has installed the Alpha high-voltage convertor platform topsides for the Hollandse Kust Zuid (HKZ) offshore grid project in the Dutch North Sea.
Alpha is one of two transformer stations that will connect the HKZ offshore wind farm development with the Dutch mainland grid.
Over the past year, contractor Petrofac has been working on the fabrication of two high voltage alternating current transformer stations, Alpha and Beta, at the Drydocks World fabrication yard in Dubai. In mid-November, Mammoet weighed and loaded the 3,830-metric ton (4,222-ton) Alpha topsides onto the transport vessel Tai An Kou. From Dubai, the Tai An Kou sailed to the Alexiahaven on the Maasvlakte, where it arrived on Dec. 21.
On Dec. 26, the Pioneering Spirit installed the topsides 20 km (12 mi) off the coast of The Hague.
The Beta topsides – also with a capacity of 700 MW – is expected to be installed in 1Q 2022.
Vattenfall’s HKZ offshore wind farm is expected to be fully operational in 2023. It is the first subsidy-free wind farm area in the world.
01/03/2022
