Elia Seeks Offshore SwitchYard Installation Contractor

Elia Asset N.V., part of the Elia Group, has invited tenders for the installation of the Offshore SwitchYard (OSY) Platform for the Modular Offshore Grid (MOG) project in the Belgian North Sea.

The contract includes, but is not limited to, installation, engineering, providing cargo barge, transport to the offshore location and demobilisation of the installation spread.

The installation of the jacket and the piles is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2018, and the installation of the topside is slated for the first half of 2019.

The final contracting entity may be one of the existing members of the Elia Group or a new company that will be set up by one of the companies of the Elia Group.

The invitation to tender will remain open until 21 February, 2017.

The OSY platform will be situated up to 45 kilometres off Belgian North Sea coast, in water depths between 30 and 35 metres. The platform will be designed by Ramboll Danmark AS.

The Modular Offshore Grid project is aimed at connecting offshore wind farms to a high-voltage substation located on the offshore platform, which will, in turn, be connected to the onshore grid.

In the long term, the modular grid infrastructure is planned to be connected to an international platform using direct-current connections, in order to transmit greater quantities of power over longer distances.

Some of Belgium’s neighbouring countries, like the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, are also working to develop grids in their territorial waters in the North Sea.

These resources could be used in the event of there being insufficient wind in the North Sea. The connections will also allow wind power to be stored in dedicated infrastructure when a surplus of energy is generated.