An offshore transformer station that will link the Hollandse Kust Zuid offshore wind farm to the Dutch grid has been successfully installed in the North Sea.
European grid operator TenneT confirmed that the transformer, also known as a topside, has been installed on the jacket at the HKZ Alpha platform around 20km off the coast of The Hague.
It is one of two topsides that will make up the HKZ offshore grid, connecting Vattenfall and BASF’s offshore wind project of the same name to the Dutch onshore high-voltage grid.
TenneT director of large projects offshore Marco Kuijpers said: “With the installation of the Alpha topside, the offshore grid that TenneT is building in the North Sea is starting to take shape.
“Hollandse Kust Zuid Alpha is the first connection of an offshore wind farm to the Maasvlakte, with a capacity of 700MW. Wind energy plays a crucial role in the energy transition, also in industry, and I am proud that TenneT can contribute to a sustainable future in this way.”