Heerema Marine Contractors has been awarded the Petrofac contract for TenneT's Hollandse Kust Zuid (HKZ) Alpha project, one of the largest offshore wind farm zones being developed in the North Sea in front of the Dutch coast.
The award entails the transport and installation of the HKZ Alpha HVAC platform. This platform is a high-voltage substation, an essential component of offshore wind farms that run electricity to the mainland, in this case the Maasvlakte. The jacket (2,800 metric tonnes) for the HKZ Alpha substation will be installed in the second quarter of 2020 and the topside (3,800 metric tonnes) in the fourth quarter of 2020. Next to this awarded contract, Heerema also is in the running for the installation of a second substation (HKZ Beta). The contract for this second substation is expected to be awarded later in 2019.
The installation will be performed by one of Heerema’s newest vessels, Sleipnir. Sleipnir is a Semi-Submersible Crane Vessel and not only the largest crane vessel in the world, it can also operate in shallow waters. During the tender preparations Heerema used its Simulation Center to successfully explore the feasibility of the jacket and topside installation by Sleipnir in this shallow water location close to shore.
CEO Koos-Jan van Brouwershaven: "Heerema is very excited to support Petrofac and TenneT in the development of this project in the North Sea. It also gives us the opportunity to contribute to the realization of the Dutch government's clean energy targets. Heerema is continuously seeking opportunities to strengthen its position in the international offshore market through innovation, pro-activity and reliability. This project fits Heerema’s agenda to participate in innovative and sustainable projects. Our vessels are ideally suited to install the additional infrastructure needed to increase the Dutch offshore electricity production capacity."
Source: Heerema Marine Contractors