Energy transition

Offshore grid Hollandse Kust (zuid) Alpha and Beta ready for use

5 July 2022
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Hollandse Kust (zuid) Alpha and Beta, TenneT’s high voltage connections for offshore wind farms Hollandse Kust (zuid) I and II are ready for use.

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TenneT completed the installation and energization of the offshore Beta grid connection; the Alpha grid connection was already completed in March. Wind farm developer Vattenfall can now connect the wind turbines to the high voltage grid. Today TenneT, together with stakeholders and contractors, celebrated this significant milestone during the Net op Zee event at the Hollandse Kust (zuid) land station on the Maasvlakte.

Hollandse Kust (zuid), or HKZ in short, connects the wind farm area with the same name – located approximately 20 kilometers off the coast of The Hague – to the Dutch mainland. Developed by Swedish energy company Vattenfall and owned by Vattenfall, BASF and Allianz, the 1400 MW HKZ windfarm will become world’s largest and 1st subsidy free offshore wind projects when it’s fully commissioned in 2023.

Electrification of the industry plays an important role in the energy transition. It’s therefore very important that a series of large windfarms at the North Sea will deliver their green electricity to the grid in Rotterdam. Together we can realize this major transition.
Allard Castelein, CEO, Port of Rotterdam Authority
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Partnering for the energy transition

The wind farm area will generate green electricity equal to the energy used by one and a half million households annually. Manon van Beek, CEO TenneT: “The significance of this is huge: wind energy is a major driver of the energy transition, and we’re proud that TenneT’s work is contributing to a sustainable future. But we’re just one player in the complex process of making the energy transition happen. The task ahead of us is enormous and partnering with other parties in the chain is crucial to reach our future targets.”

Power sockets at sea

Hollandse Kust (zuid) consists of a land station, sea cables and two High Voltage Alternating Current (HVAC) transformer stations, located about 20 kilometres off the coast of The Hague. These transformer stations can be considered as “power sockets at sea”, to which Vattenfall’s wind farm area can be connected in order to bring the wind energy to the mainland. During the Net op Zee event Vattenfall CEO Martijn Hagens and Manon van Beek, performed the symbolic and ceremonial act of plugging together the Offshore wind farm with the onshore grid.

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“Wind energy, both onshore and offshore, is one of the cornerstones to reach our ambition of a fossil free living within one generation. Connecting Hollandse Kust Zuid with its customers is a big milestone for our project, especially given that we expect first power any time soon. We congratulate the offshore division of TenneT with this success,” says Martijn Hagens, CEO of Vattenfall in the Netherlands.

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