The concept, which is based on the ‘hub and spoke’ principle, involves building an island in the middle of the sea to which several wind farms would be linked.
Power generated from this island will then be distributed and transmitted through direct current cables to the North Sea countries including the Netherlands, the UK, Belgium, Norway, Germany and Denmark.
The cables will serve as interconnections between the energy markets of the countries, resulting in international power trade.
TenneT selected the Dogger Bank as a potential location for the development of the Island scheme, needs shallow waters, a central location and a high wind site.
Construction of the project is scheduled between 2030 and 2050.
TenneT said that the scheme is expected to provide enough space for about 30GW of offshore wind capacity. It will have potential to be expanded with the addition of one or two modules of 6 km² each.
TenneT CEO Mel Kroon said: "In Germany and more recently in the Netherlands, TenneT has the role of developer and operator of the offshore grid. From this responsibility we have taken the initiative to establish a realistic and achievable plan for further development of the North Sea.
"The success of the energy transition depends largely on the extent to which we mount a coordinated joint effort in Europe. Cooperation between national governments, regulators, the offshore wind industry, national grid administrators and nature and environmental organisations is a precondition for achieving Europe’s environmental targets.
"The vision we have presented shows the relevance of cooperation in the North Sea."
TenneT now plans enter into talks with the European Union and the Member States to establish potential European cooperation for the project with focus on legislation, regulation, targets and financing.
Image: TenneT’s concept is based on the ‘hub and spoke’ principle to accelerate development of wind project in North Sea. Photo: Courtesy of TenneT Holding B.V.
