The 55 meters high jacket for TenneT’s first offshore platform in the Borssele wind farm zone has been completed.
The load-out of the jacket at the HSM Offshore shipyard in Schiedam is the first milestone for TenneT in the realization of the Borssele Offshore Wind Farm Zone project.
During the load-out, the jacket was loaded onto a sea-going barge using Self-Propelled Modular Transporters (SPMTs). The jacket was driven from the quay via steel planking onto the barge.
Wilfried Breuer, member of the TenneT executive board and responsible for the company’s offshore activities, said: “The offshore electricity grid that TenneT is realizing in the Dutch sector of the North Sea is truly taking shape. I am proud that we can make such a major contribution to the energy transition, in which offshore wind energy plays a crucial role.”
Martin Kooijman of HSM Offshore, stated: “The load-out of the jacket for the Borssele Alpha transformer station marks the end of a busy period, in which we worked very hard to build this impressive structure from simple steel plates and tubes. This is a true feat of Dutch engineering that will also benefit Dutch society as a whole. We are proud to contribute to this project.”
On Sunday 5 August, the barge will be transported via the Nieuwe Waterweg canal to the Borssele I wind farm zone, where the jacket will be installed on the seabed by a crane vessel. Piles will be installed using hydraulic hammers, and a special type of cement will then be applied between the jacket and the piles in order to anchor the jacket in the seabed. These activities are scheduled for the period between 6 and 16 August.
The jacket is 55 meters high, 50 meters long and 28 meters wide, and weighs approximately 2730 tonnes.