Jan de Nul to install TenneT's remaining Hollandse Kust (West Alpha) cables

Offshore staff

NORTH HOLLAND — With more than 60 km of marine cable on board, the cable-laying vessel Connector of contractor Jan de Nul and LS Cables & System will appear off the coast of Heemskerk/Wijk aan Zee in the course of the next few days.

This cable section will realize the first connection up to TenneT's Hollandse Kust 'socket' (West Alpha). The second cable connection for the wind farm of the same name will follow in the second quarter of next year.

Some five kilometres from the beach, contractor Jan de Nul and LS Cables & System will bring the first section of the first cable for 'west Alpha' to the surface. This cable was previously pulled under the dunes, after which the first kilometres were laid in the seabed. On board the Connector, the (currently capped) end will be connected to the cable on board. This job will take over a week. 

In the seabed

Once the connection has been made, the cable is placed back on the seabed. At the same time, the work vessel Adhémar de Saint-Venant from the Belgian contractor's fleet also appears off the coast. On board is the unmanned cable-laying vehicle the UTV1200. Once the Connector sets sail, the marine cable will slowly unwind from the large turntable on board. The Adhémar sails behind it to control the UTV1200, which then lays the cable into the seabed.

Socket at sea

The cable will be laid to where TenneT is having the transformer platform for the 'west Alpha' wind farm built. The jacket for this is already in place some 50 kilometres off the coast of Egmond aan Zee. Next year, the superstructure (topside) will be placed on top of this, after which the sea cables can be connected. This connection should be ready in 2024. The wind farm (West Alpha) - announced on 15 December - will be built by Ecowende, a combination of Eneco and Shell. 

Second sea cable

In early 2023, the remaining part of the second sea cable will also be collected from the producer LS Cable & System in South Korea. After transportation, the entire cable installation operation will be repeated one more time in spring. The cable connection for the Hollandse Kust (north) wind farm was recently successfully tested. Through this connection, grid operator TenneT will bring green wind energy from the sea ashore at the end of next year to make it available to households, businesses and industry.

12.16.2022