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Smulders and ENGIE Solutions kick off topside fabrication of TenneT project Hollandse Kust (noord)
Representatives of TenneT TSO B.V. and the joint venture ENGIE Solutions – Iemants (subsidiary of Smulders) started the cutting of the first steel elements for the topside of the offshore transformer station for the Hollandse Kust (noord) wind farm zone.
During a first steel cut ceremony at the Iemants’ facility in Arendonk on Thursday 24 September, the joint venture partners and TenneT officially kicked off the steel fabrication for the Hollandse Kust (noord) topside. The pieces that were cut (nodes and PRSs) are the first building blocks for the topside. Steel fabrication can now continue at the Smulders’ facilities in Arendonk and Balen.
Raf Iemants, Managing Director of Smulders: “We are pleased that we were able to officially start the topside fabrication together with TenneT and our JV partner ENGIE Solutions. The project is being executed as per the original planning, respecting all COVID-19 measures. This could only be achieved thanks to the flexibility and good cooperation of the teams from TenneT, the equipment suppliers, Bureau Veritas (as Certifying Authority) and the joint venture ENGIE Solutions and Iemants.”
Guus Siteur, project lead HKN/HKWa platform at TenneT: “TenneT is proud to be part of these first physical steps into the fabrication of the Hollandse Kust (noord) offshore transformer station, the first Dutch transformer station to be built by the ENGIE Solutions-Iemants joint venture. The first 6 months into this contract can be summarized as constructive and cooperative, providing confidence in achieving a successful project together. It's also good to see the effort which is being put by the joint venture to quantify and minimize environmental impact."
Environmental consciousness is high on the agenda of the partners. The joint venture works with the shortest possible chain from raw material to installation. Steel and corrosion protection systems are only purchased from European suppliers with an Environmental Product Declaration and all steel constructions and outfitting will be executed in Belgium and the Netherlands.
In March 2020, TenneT TSO B.V. awarded the joint venture ENGIE Solutions – Iemants the contract for the engineering, procurement, construction, offshore installation, connection and testing of the offshore transformer station for the Hollandse Kust (noord) wind farm zone. The joint venture is also the preferred contractor for TenneT’s next offshore projects, the Hollandse Kust (west Alpha), for which the contract is expected to be signed in the next coming weeks, and the Hollandse Kust (west Beta) platform.
After the contract award, the joint venture (ENGIE Solutions – Iemants) started the design works for the topside, jacket and piles. Assembly of the topside will start in October after which the topside will be transferred to the ENGIE Solutions yard in Hoboken for final assembly in February 2021. The outfitting, commissioning and testing will take place from June 2021 until May 2022. The topside will be installed offshore mid-2022.
The jacket fabrication will start in November. Offshore installation will take place in October 2021.
