The Netherlands-based consultancy Tauw Group will carry out soil investigations and determine the most suitable route for onshore cables which will connect four 350MW offshore wind farms in the Hollandse Kust (zuid) zone to the Dutch grid, TenneT reports.
Tauw will examine several onshore cable routes, including the one leading to Wateringen and two leading to a terminal on Maasvlakte. The soil investigation works are expected to be carried out in July and August 2016. Tauw will look into the composition and the quality of soil at the potential cable routes.
Elroy Houthuijzen-Diaz Chavez, project manager at Tauw, said: “For us it is important that the environment is not adversely affected by our operations. Through our extensive experience we can perform field studies carefully, quickly and flexibly. We look forward to this project with smart measuring and inspection activities to contribute to sustainable solutions for a better environment. “
The results of the soil investigations will be sent to the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, and to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment. The preferred onshore cable route is expected to be selected after the summer of 2016, with a draft plan on the use of land and applying for necessary permits to follow shortly after.
The draft decisions on the cable routes are expected to be published in mid-2017, with the construction of the terminal slated to start in 2018.
The four wind farms at the Hollandse Kust (zuid) zone will be connected to the grid between 2018 and 2021, according to current plans.
The Hollandse Kust (zuid) zone covers an area of 356 km². TenneT will build grid connections and construct two offshore substations in the wind farm zone.
The subsidy and permit tender for sites Hollandse Kust (Zuid) I & II is planned to open in 2017, with the tender for the zones III and IV following a year later.
Offshore WIND Staff