TenneT signs on Dutch construction majors to create 30% extra transmission capacity

Dutch German TSO TenneT has signed a long-term contract with construction companies BAM Infra Nederland, Strukton Wegen & Beton and VolkerWessels Hoogspanning Civiel, following a tender process in a bid to expand the grid and transmit 30% more power.

The parties will carry out civil engineering work for major above-ground high-voltage grid projects in the Netherlands under a framework agreement with an initial term of four years with three two-year extension options and a maximum value of €2.5 billion ($2.8 billion).

To eliminate and prevent bottlenecks in the high-voltage grid, the grid operator will upgrade a large number of existing high-voltage overhead lines over the next few years, enabling them to transmit at least 30% more electricity.

Around 600km will be upgraded over the next 10 years. In the same period, TenneT plans to build around 400km of new high-voltage lines. This means a tripling of the current work package.

The framework agreement, says TenneT, will see the TSO’s new partners prepare sites for construction, build temporary access roads to the mast sites, instal and reinforce more than 1,500 mast foundations, and restore the land and the surrounding area to its natural state.

VOLTA Civiel – a joint venture between Mourik Infra and Dusseldorp Infra, Demolition and Environmental Engineering BV – and Dura Vermeer will take a back-up position.

The work will take place before and after the actual reinforcement of existing lines and the construction of new line connections.

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TenneT has chosen this approach so that the parties specialized in line and mast construction – whom TenneT says have scarce capacity – can work as efficiently and quickly as possible.

Commenting in a release was Sjouke Bootsma, TenneT’s director of supply chain management:

“By building long-term relationships with these partners, we can invest in smart ways of working together. This kind of long-term collaboration is crucial in times when acceleration is needed. They also provide certainty for all parties involved. A win-win situation.

Said Henk Post, managing director at BAM Infra Nederland: “With our national experience on previous line infrastructure projects, we at BAM have laid a solid foundation for our approach.

“Within this framework agreement, we see opportunities to continue our collaboration with TenneT at a higher level and to work faster, more efficiently and more sustainably. By working together, we make the energy transition possible. In this way, we pass on the earth to the next generations in the right way. A sustainable connection for a more beautiful Netherlands.”

According to TenneT, their goal is to structurally reduce harmful emissions when implementing such projects.

According to the company, this is in line with their partners’ sustainability ambitions, aiming to reduce harmful emissions from the start of work, for example by using less polluting equipment (Stage V) and the new generation of biodiesel (HVO100).

TenneT says this results in an 88% reduction in CO2 and an 83% reduction in particulate matter compared to conventional equipment and fuel.