RWE and TenneT reach agreement on grid connection of Dutch offshore wind farm

Formerly known as Hollandse Kust West VII, the 800 MW offshore wind farm has been renamed OranjeWind and is to be built 53 kilometers off the Dutch coast in the North Sea. Now grid operator TenneT and energy company RWE have signed contracts for connection and transmission as well as implementation. These regulate the construction of the grid connection and the transmission of the electricity produced by the RWE wind farm to the TennetT platform. The grid connection will be made to the high-voltage substation in Wijk aan Zee and will be operational by 2026.

Sven Utermöhlen, CEO RWE Offshore Wind: "I am pleased that we were able to sign the contracts so quickly, as these agreements guarantee the transport of the electricity generated by the OranjeWind wind farm. This is a milestone for the realization of our first offshore wind project in the Netherlands, which not only focuses on full system integration, but is also expected to supply more than one million households in the Netherlands with green electricity. For this, a good cooperation with TenneT is essential."

To achieve a perfect balance between supply and demand, a number of innovations will be integrated. These include floating solar panels, an underwater lithium-ion battery and a LiDAR (light detection and ranging) based system to more accurately predict power generation, RWE said. In addition, RWE will invest in onshore system integration, such as electrolysis capacity and e-boilers, to match power generation and power consumption. RWE is also developing solutions for smart charging of electric vehicles.