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). In November 2016, VBMS-NKT was awarded the contract for Borssele Alpha as well as the option for Borssele Beta, which has now also been awarded. The four cables will be routed via the Western Scheldt estuary and will come ashore near the existing high-voltage substation at Borssele, the Netherlands. More details on TenneT's offshore activities can be found here.
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. Borssele Alpha will go into service in 2019 followed by Borssele Beta in 2020.
Illustration: profile of the offshore grid connection system (Borssele wind area, Dutch North Sea)
