Heavy-lift specialist Mammoet has signed an agreement with Seatrium to carry out the load-out of three offshore substations for TenneT’s 2GW offshore grid connection programme, the companies said.
The programme will deliver 15 high-voltage direct current (HVDC) grid connection systems in the North Sea by 2032, comprising eight links in the Netherlands and seven in Germany, each designed with a capacity of 2GW. The partners said higher-capacity offshore systems are intended to support Dutch, German and broader European climate targets while reducing the number of offshore installations required.
Under the agreement, Seatrium will fabricate the topsides across its main yards using its One Seatrium Global Delivery model. Each topside is expected to weigh more than 30,000 tonnes.
Mammoet will be responsible for moving and loading the substations onto transport vessels, using specialist skidding equipment to transfer the structures from land to sea. The company said hydraulically compensated skidding systems will be used to control structural deflection and ensure precise positioning during the load-out process.
“We are proud to partner with Seatrium for this innovative offshore wind program, which will support Europe’s net-zero and energy independent ambitions,” said Richard Verhoeff, global sales director at Mammoet.
“We look forward to using our innovative engineered solutions to load these colossal structures onto transport vessels in a safe and controlled manner,” he added.
TenneT’s offshore grid expansion is a central element of plans to integrate large volumes of North Sea wind power into continental electricity networks over the coming decade.
