Energinet Issues EUR 30 Million Tender Call for Technical Consultancy for North Sea Energy Island HVAC/DC Equipment

February 20, 2023, by Adrijana Buljan

Danish transmission system operator (TSO) Energinet has opened a qualification period for a tender seeking technical consultancy services for the power equipment of the artificial island Denmark plans to build in the North Sea. The North Sea Energy Island will connect 3 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2033 and 10 GW by 2040, and will also interconnect with Belgium.

Under the contract(s) to be awarded through the subsequent tender, valued at EUR 30 million, the technical advisor(s) will provide consultancy services for the HVAC/DC equipment to be installed on the future energy island.

The ten-year contract will cover work for the first phase, which involves connecting 3 GW of offshore wind and linking the island to Denmark and Belgium, with the consultancy scope including three phases, from tender preparation all the way to the commissioning until the takeover of the works by Energinet.

The qualification period is open until 3 March, after which the TSO expects to qualify three candidates who would then be invited to tender.

The overall scope of the consultancy services includes providing technical advice and support to Energinet in three phases of the project. The first phase is basic design and tender preparation leading to the tender for the HVAC/DC equipment, followed by technical advice and support during the tendering phase.

The third phase covers the provision of technical advice and support during the HVAC/DC equipment contractors’ detailed design, construction, installation and commissioning until the takeover of the works by Energinet.

The contract also comprises an option for the provision of supervision services during construction, installation and/or commissioning activities.

Detailed design of the main HVAC/DC equipment is not part of the tender as Energinet plans to procure this as part of the EPC contract of the equipment supplier. Furthermore, the interconnecting cables are also not part of the contract(s) to be awarded through this tender.

The North Sea Energy Island will be built 80 kilometres offshore the Jutland peninsula. The Danish government plans to have 200 wind turbines with a combined capacity of 3 GW installed and connected to the island by 2033 and expand this in the second phase of the project, which would bring the total capacity to 10 GW by 2040.

Energinet is in charge of developing, building and operating the energy island’s electricity infrastructure.

The construction of the artificial island is the responsibility of the Danish Energy Agency (DEA), which plans to launch the tender this Spring.

The government plans for the island to be flexible and allow combining a dammed island with electricity transmission and energy conversion on island-based platforms, but without limiting the possibilities for innovative activities such as Power-to-X.