TenneT starts online stakeholder consultation process for offshore electricity grid

Today a special website goes live where relevant stakeholders can provide feedback on the development of an offshore electricity grid. For some time, TenneT has been consulting stakeholders on technology and planning. The overall goal of this process is to optimize, together with stakeholders, the offshore grid configuration and realization against minimum societal cost. By collaborating from the start with energy producers, suppliers, NGO's, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment and other parties, TenneT ensures transparency and a feasible concept for an offshore electricity grid that can be used to connect future wind farms to the onshore grid. TenneT recently engaged consultancy firm Ecofys to provide support during the consultation process, in order to facilitate a successful first call for tenders by the end of 2015.

Website

Relevant stakeholders can register via a dedicated website (www.tennet.eu/nl/offshore-grid-nl.html) in order to keep informed on the consultation process. The website will also be used to post information about the topics currently on the agenda, the choices made, and the considerations underlying them. Stakeholders can also consult the website for an overview of scheduled expert meetings. All feedback and information submitted will be documented anonymously and used in the decision-making process.

Expert meetings

TenneT will organize monthly meetings on topics relevant to the development of wind farms, such as technology and planning. A limited number of experts will be invited to attend these meetings to facilitate a detailed discussion of key issues related to the development of the offshore electricity grid. The list of invitees has been coordinated with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Netherlands Wind Energy Association (NWEA). All information, reports and position papers will be published on the website after the expert meetings have been held.

Background

By means of the National Energy Agreement, the Dutch government wants to achieve a substantial increase in the share of wind energy in the Netherlands. To increase offshore wind energy capacity, the government has designated three zones in the North Sea for the development of new wind farms. After the wind farms have been constructed, they will be connected to the national transmission grid by means of an offshore electricity grid. In 2014, Minister Kamp of Economic Affairs took a so-called ‘directional decision’ to appoint TenneT as the operator of this offshore electricity grid. In order to maintain the required pace, TenneT is taking its responsibility and making the necessary preparations in anticipation of its statutory appointment as the offshore grid operator.

Collaboration

TenneT regards collaboration between all offshore wind energy stakeholders as a crucial element in the government’s new policy approach. TenneT involves stakeholders at an early stage to ensure that the offshore grid is developed in the most efficient way possible. During the preparation phase, there are ongoing consultations with the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the wind farm developers and other stakeholders. In constructing the connections and platforms, TenneT wants to reduce environmental impact while creating the broadest possible public support. TenneT is also working with the NGO Natuur & Milieu and other organizations to minimize any impact on the human environment and existing flora and fauna.

Efficiency

A coordinated approach to connecting offshore wind farms will lead to lower societal costs and will reduce the impact on the human environment. This structured approach is more efficient and faster than realizing separate connections. In Germany, TenneT has gained extensive know-how and experience in connecting offshore wind farms to the grid. Wind farms in The Netherlands will be linked up to standardized platforms. Cost reduction is achieved through economies of scale, lower financing costs, procurement advantages, standardizations, combined management and maintenance, and optimizing the output of each wind farm through redundant designs. The platforms will be designed in such a way that in future, wind farms located further out to sea may be connected to the grid, including at higher voltage levels if required.