TenneT, the Dutch electricity transmission system operator, is gearing up for a significant project off the coast of Velsen. The company plans to install cables to connect the energy generated by the offshore wind farm, Hollandse Kust (west Beta), to the mainland. To inform the public about this endeavor, a temporary information container has been set up at the construction site.
Information Hub for Visitors
Situated near The HangOut on Reyndersweg, the blue information container serves as an educational hub for visitors. Here, they can learn about the equipment that contractor NBOS (a joint venture between Boskalis and Orient) will employ to install two electricity cables beneath the seabed.
Insight into Future Activities
The information center, open to the public during working hours, offers a vantage point from its rooftop, allowing observers to witness the forthcoming operations. Over the next few months, several crucial activities are scheduled to take place:
- Late March: Construction of the initial ‘cofferdams’ to bury the cables at a depth of six to eight meters beneath the beach.
- April/May: A dredging vessel will remove sand approximately 500 meters offshore.
- Mid-May: Burial of the first submarine cable, which will be pulled through an empty conduit beneath the dunes from the sea to the construction site in Beeldenpark. Subsequently, both cables will be connected underground to the onshore electricity cables using large crown stones.
- Summer: Installation of the cables using a cable burial machine. After laying the initial 4.5 kilometers, the end of the cable will be capped and placed on the seabed, repeating the process for the second cable.
Beach Closure and Water Sports Restrictions
During cable pulling operations, the beach will be closed to the public for two weeks on two separate occasions. Additionally, water sports activities at sea will not be permitted during this time.
