Borssele Alpha offshore grid connection system
High-voltage grid readiness verification
Project
High-voltage grid readiness verification for Borssele Alpha, TenneT’s first and largest connection system for offshore wind farms on the Dutch North Sea.
Scope
The wind farms, which will be commissioned in 2020, will have a capacity of 700 MW and can generate electricity for approximately one million households. The power will be connected through TenneT’s offshore connection Borssele Alpha to the onshore high-voltage substation for further transport in the Dutch high-voltage grid. With the grid readiness of the Borssele Alpha grid connection system, the Borssele I and II wind farms can be connected to the Dutch electricity Grid.
The verification was the final step for TenneT to show that the offshore grid connection complies fully with the conditions set out in the Dutch government’s Offshore Wind Energy Development Framework. To realize 3,500 MW of additional offshore wind energy in 2023, the Dutch government developed a planned approach for the development of a North Sea electricity grid. TenneT has officially been appointed as offshore grid operator in the Netherlands and will develop 3,500 MW of offshore-connections until 2023; all with a standardised concept of 700 MW per connection.
High-voltage grid readiness verification focuses uniquely on the performance of the high voltage system and essential auxiliary systems. We prepared a grid readiness verification plan, and a team of high-voltage experts performed a thorough document review of the offshore substation, export cables, land station and SCADA and communication protocols and witnessed the energization of the complete grid connection system.
Benefits
TenneT received a grid readiness verification statement for its Borssele Alpha offshore grid connection system. This is the first offshore grid connection system in the world to receive a grid readiness verification statement, enabling TenneT to demonstrate its readiness to connect the Borssele wind farms I and II.
