SPIE Nederland, a Dutch subsidiary of SPIE, has been selected by Tennet to participate in the construction of the 2GW onshore substation of the IJmuiden Ver Alpha project at the Borssele site, which will connect the offshore wind farms to the high-voltage power grid.
This collaboration is part of TenneT’s “Offshore Grid – 2GW land stations” framework agreement and will last four years. Additional onshore substations may also be built after final state approval. Starting in 2024, TenneT will connect the Dutch subsea power grids to a new 2GW standard, allowing electricity generated by offshore wind farms to be transported to land via a high voltage direct current (HVDC) connection.
A functional design for the TenneT ground substation
In this contract, SPIE will focus on the technical installations related to the onshore substation. The company will work on lighting and electrical installation, access control, fire alarm and evacuation systems, data cabling, heating and cooling systems, water installation, plumbing, sewer and emergency power systems. The company will work with its partners Dura Vermeer and De Kok Staalbouw to complete the halls before starting work on the substation.
The intermediate building will house the central services of the substation, which will consist mainly of large technology rooms and a single work area. The teams will work in BIM (Building Information Modeling), which will allow them to work quickly and safely. The systems will be integrated with the HVDC equipment to be installed at a later date. The design phase will also consider the accessibility and serviceability of the equipment, and the building will be designed to be as functional as possible.
The collaboration between TenneT and SPIE was driven by safety, BIM, planning and sustainability issues. This new facility will enable SPIE to play an active role in the Netherlands’ energy transition and contribute to the production of renewable energy from offshore wind farms.
