CrossWind and TenneT Sign Hollandse Kust (noord) Grid Connection Agreements

CrossWind, a consortium of Shell and Eneco, has signed agreements with TenneT for the construction of the offshore grid connection for the Hollandse Kust (noord) wind farm.

Located in the Dutch North Sea some some 18.5 kilometres off Egmond aan Zee, the 759 MW Hollandse Kust (noord) and its grid connection are scheduled to be operational in 2023.

The signed agreements concern the realisation, connection, and transmission of power between the wind farm and TenneT’s 700 MW platform.

“These agreements with TenneT mark an important milestone in this project,” Tjalling de Bruin, CEO of CrossWind, said.

”We have a tight schedule to get this offshore wind farm ready on time and supplying clean electricity in 2023. Moreover, we want to apply five innovations in the wind farm to learn how we can also supply electricity when there is no wind. Because of the ambitious planning and these innovations, close cooperation with TenneT is essential.”

The agreement signed by CrossWind and TenneT formalises the connection of the Hollandse Kust (noord) wind farm to the Dutch electricity grid. The agreement covers liabilities during the construction and operational phase, the technical aspects of the grid connection and applicable technical standards, and the requirements in terms of compliance with laws and regulations.

“The development of the Dutch offshore grid is in full swing,” said Marco Kuijpers, Director of Offshore Projects at TenneT.

“Hollandse Kust (north) is the third wind area for which we will develop a 700 MW standardised AC connection. Until 2030 we will connect at least 9.6 GW of offshore wind energy to the Dutch high-voltage grid. We delivered Borssele Alpha and Borssele Beta in 2019 and 2020 respectively, in good cooperation with Ørsted and the Blauwwind consortium, safely, within budget and on schedule. We look forward to working with Crosswind.”

CrossWind secured the rights to build and operate the Hollandse Kust (noord) in what was the third zero-subsidy auction in the Netherlands back in July 2020.

The power generated at the wind farm will be transported via TenneT’s offshore grid to the high-voltage substation in Beverwijk, from where it will then be transported to the consumers via the national high-voltage grid.