The consortium will guide the processes with respect to the environmental impact report (EIR) and permit applications for the Borssele wind energy area.

The area is the first of three designated for 3.5GW of future offshore wind by the Netherlands government.

An auction for development rights at Borssele is scheduled to be held in 2014.

TenneT will construct two offshore platforms of 700MW, supporting four lots of 350MW in the zone.

Each platform will be linked to an expanded 380kV onshore substation by 220kV cables.

Arcadis and Pondera Consult will prepare all documents required for decision-making and provide strategic advice with respect to the permits process, consultation of competent authorities and stakeholder management.

TenneT Offshore senior manager Marco Kuijpers said: "We want to press ahead. The planned route map for the development of renewable energy in the Dutch section of the North Sea is ambitious.

"For large-scale infrastructural projects like this one, proper collaboration with all stakeholders is of great importance, so we need to join forces and get going with the clearly-structured plan for the development of offshore wind presented in September by the Ministry of Economic Affairs."

Earlier in November 2014, a consortium of DNV GL and Grontmij, signed a €39m framework agreement to support TenneT in the further development of the high-voltage grid in the Netherlands.

TenneT is a leading European electricity TSO in the Netherlands and in a large part of Germany. The operator crosses borders and connects countries with about 21,000km of high-voltage lines.