The second of two submarine cables from Elia’s modular offshore grid will arrive on the shore at Zeebrugge, Belgium, later this month, ensuring the switchyard platform can connect to offshore wind farms from September.
Earlier this month the first of the two cables was connected to the mainland’s existing onshore underground cables leading to the Stevin high voltage substation in Zeebrugge.
Work is also under way offshore to connect the cables to the platform.
The offshore ‘plug’ is located 40km off the Belgian coast and will connect to offshore wind farms to transmit maximum amounts of electricity to the mainland.
The project includes 130km of 220kV cables, which will be laid under the sea, leading from the offshore platform to Zeebrugge beach.
To mark progress the Belgium federal minister Philippe De Backer and minister Marie Christine Marghem visited the modular offshore grid along with executives from Belgian grid operator Elia, which has invested €400m in the project.
Bart Tommelein and Dirk De Fauw, Mayors of Ostend and Bruges respectively, were also present.
In April, the platform’s topside was successfully fitted onto the jacket in the North Sea.
The plug will bundle the electricity generated by four wind farms, Rentel, Seastar, Mermaid and Northwester 2, and transmit it to the mainland via joint subsea cables.
The project enables savings of 40km-worth of cable and will also provide greater security of supply.
If one of the offshore cables fails or is faulty, the wind farms will still be able to inject their energy into Belgium’s grid.
Elie chief executive Chris Peeters said: “The MOG plays an essential role in the transition towards more renewable energy.
“We are especially proud that Elia can act as a pioneer in this regard. The project has been completed in record time: the first agreements were made with the authorities in March 2016, and the MOG will be operational this September. That is unheard of.”
During the visit, Elia and the political stakeholders also looked ahead to the future.
In late April, the federal government approved Elia’s 2020-2030 Federal Development Plan, in which Elia outlines its investment plans for the next decade.
Elia plans to expand the offshore network by building MOG 2, as part of a network of platforms in the North Sea that will connect the additional wind farms that Belgium’s offshore wind law provides for.
The MOG platform is unmanned and can be fully monitored and controlled remotely.
The topside rises 41 metres above the surface of the water and weighs 2000 tonnes.
The plug is anchored to the seabed with four posts at a depth of 60 metres.