The Journey of Hollandse Kust (West Beta) Substation Platform Topsides
Two weeks after the successful loadout, the steel topside for the Hollandse Kust (West Beta) substation platform is ready to leave the port of Hoboken near Antwerp in the Netherlands for its final North Sea destination.
The topside is scheduled to depart from the Dutch port on May 17, on a floating pontoon via the Scheldt and the Western Scheldt towards the North Sea.
Heerema Marine Contractors’ installation vessel Sleipnir, after completing its current job in British waters, will sail to the coast of North Holland to commence the installation operation.
The superstructure of the transformer platform, weighing over 3,500 tonnes, will be installed 50 kilometers off the coast of Egmond aan Zee.
As part of the operation, Sleipnir will lift the 45-meter long, 20-meter wide, and 25-meter-high structure from the floating pontoon and place it on the jacket, firmly anchored to the seabed since May 2024.
(Credit: TenneT)
The topside and jacket will be welded together and connected to the electricity grid in the coming months.
Once connected, the electricity from the 700 MW project, operated by RWE/OranjeWind, will be fed to the high-voltage grid via the transformer station in Wijk aan Zee.
The Hollandse Kust West Beta offshore wind farm is expected to enter service in 2025.