Dutch-German Transmission System Operator (TSO) TenneT has selected Prysmian and NKT as suppliers for five 525 kV XLPE HVDC cable connections for Dutch 2 GW projects to be completed between 2028 and 2030.

A press release from TenneT said that Prysmian has been awarded a contract for the cable connections of IJmuiden Ver Alpha and Nederwiek 1, landing onshore at Sloegebied (Zeeland) while NKT will provide cable connections for IJmuiden Ver Beta, IJmuiden Ver Gamma and Nederwiek 2, landing onshore at Maasvlakte (Port of Rotterdam). Onshore cable laying activities starts in 2025, offshore cable laying activities are expected to start in 2026.

TenneT noted that “innovative cooperation” between it and the two cable suppliers led to a new global market standard for 525 kV XLPE HVDC offshore cables. “Our qualification program has shown that cable suppliers are on track for this new offshore connection standard,” said TenneT EOO Tim Meyerjürgens.

Prysmian reports that its contracts for the IJmuiden Ver Alpha and Nederwiek 1 offshore wind farms that represent a total of 4 GW capacity are worth approximately €1.8 billion. They call for it to supply two 525 kV HVDC submarine and land cable systems, including fiber optic cables and related accessories. IJmuiden Ver Alpha is an offshore grid connection system with 176 km of route length (164 km offshore), while Nederwiek 1 has a total route length of 217 km (208 km offshore). The delivery of the first connection is scheduled for 2029, and the second for 2030. The submarine cables will be made at Prysmian Group’s plants in Pikkala (Finland) and Arco Felice (Italy), while land cables will be produced in Gron (France).

NKT will supply some 1,700 km of 525 kV XLPE HVDC power cable for the three connections (Beta, Gamma and Nederwiek 2) that will have capacity of 6 GW. Cable production will start between 2024-27, with expected commissioning in 2028-30. NKT plans to use some recycled metal for the conductors and manufacture the cables at its high-voltage factory in Karlskrona, Sweden, which uses renewable electricity. Installation is to be done by NKT Victoria, its cable laying vessel.

The six wind farms in the IJmuiden Ver and Nederwiek Offshore Wind Zone have a total capacity of 12 GW. They are key in supporting the European transition to renewable energy and realizing the Dutch ambition of having 21 GW offshore wind installed around 2030. Meyerjürgens said that the plans to deploy the world’s first 525 kV XLPE HVDC offshore cable systems reflect their commitment “to deliver on the joint ambition to develop the North Sea into the green power plant of Europe.” In the next few months, TenneT expects to announce the partners for the Framework agreements of the 2 GW HVDC suppliers for Dutch and German 2GW projects and partners for the Framework agreement for cable connections of two other GW projects.