VBMS, a subsidiary of Boskalis, and NKT Cables have been awarded a contract by TenneT to supply and install two export cables that will connect the Borssele offshore wind farms 1 and 2 to TenneT’s onshore grid in the Netherlands.
According to VBMS’ parent company, the contract value of Boskalis’ share is approximately EUR 70 million.
Separately, the option has been awarded for the installation of the export cables that will connect the Borssele offshore wind farms 3 and 4 to the Dutch onshore grid, subject to financial close.
As reported, the grid connection of the Borssele offshore wind area in the North Sea consists of two 700 MW connections, called Alpha (for Borssele 1 and 2) and Beta (for Borssele 3 and 4). The contract for the Alpha export cabling scope entails the supply and installation of two 61-kilometer-long export cables. The cables will be routed via the Western Skeldt estuary and will come ashore near the existing high-voltage substation at Borssele.
To minimize maintenance to the cables during their operational lifetime, Boskalis will pre-sweep and dredge the shallow parts of the route, which will enable VBMS to simultaneously lay and bury the export cables at the required depth.
The project is scheduled to be carried out between 2018 and 2019.
Photo courtesy of NKT Cables.
