TenneT and RWE have signed an agreement for the grid connection of the OranjeWind offshore wind farm. The agreement describes how the electricity produced from the wind farm is supplied and what the plan is to realize the connection.
The OranjeWind wind farm will be built 53 kilometers off the Dutch coast and will be connected to the high-voltage substation in Wijk aan Zee. The intention is that the connection will be operational in 2026. The wind farm will have an installed capacity of almost 800 MW and will supply power from 2027.
Innovations
RWE applies a number of innovations in OranjeWind. For example, it installs floating solar panels, a submarine lithium-ion battery, and a LiDAR system to better predict power production. The company is also looking at how the electricity produced on land can be used. For example, it is thinking of new electrolysis capacity and e-boilers, to be able to match power production and consumption. In addition, RWE is looking at possibilities to charge electric vehicles smartly.
AC and DC connections
TenneT is realising seven standard offshore alternating current (AC) connections in the Netherlands, each with an average capacity of 700 MW. From 2029, TenneT will connect wind farms further offshore with 2 GW of standard direct current (DC) connections each.
Total power
RWE owns and develops a total capacity of 3.3 GW of offshore wind energy in Europe. The largest wind farm is Sofia on the Dogger Bank, in the middle of the North Sea with a capacity of 1.4 GW. RWE recently started the construction of this wind farm. Recently, the company commissioned the Kaskasi wind farm. This has a capacity of 342 MW and is located 35 kilometers from the German island of Heligoland in the North Sea.
