Heerema Marine Contractors has been awarded the Petrofac contract for TenneT's Hollandse Kust Zuid (HKZ) Alpha project, one of the largest offshore wind farm zones being developed in the North Sea in front of the Dutch coast.
Image: Heerema Marine Contractors has been awarded the Petrofac contract for TenneT's Hollandse Kust Zuid (HKZ) Alpha project. Photo courtesy of Heerema Marine Contractors.
The award entails the transport and installation of the HKZ Alpha HVAC platform. This platform is a high-voltage substation, an essential component of offshore wind farms that run electricity to the mainland, in this case the Maasvlakte. The jacket (2,800 metric tonnes) for the HKZ Alpha substation will be installed in the second quarter of 2020 and the topside (3,800 metric tonnes) in the fourth quarter of 2020.
The installation will be performed by Heerema’s newest vessel, Sleipnir. Sleipnir is a Semi-Submersible Crane Vessel and has the ability to also operate in shallow waters. During the tender preparations Heerema used its Simulation Center to successfully explore the feasibility of the jacket and topside installation by Sleipnir in this shallow water location close to shore.
CEO Koos-Jan van Brouwershaven: “Heerema is very excited to support Petrofac and TenneT in the development of this project in the North Sea. It also gives us the opportunity to contribute to the realization of the Dutch government’s clean energy targets. Heerema is continuously seeking opportunities to strengthen its position in the international offshore market through innovation, pro-activity and reliability. This project fits Heerema’s agenda to participate in innovative and sustainable projects. Our vessels are ideally suited to install the additional infrastructure needed to increase the Dutch offshore electricity production capacity.”
Hollandse Kust (zuid) Alpha will go into service in 2021.
Source: Company Press Release