Antea Group engineers conduct necessary research for construction of TenneT high-voltage substation

Before even a shovel could go into the ground for the construction of the new 380kV Tilburg high-voltage substation, a lot of research, thinking and calculations were done.
What are the soil conditions like? What permits are required? What impact will construction have on flora and fauna? To answer these questions and more, Antea Group's engineers and consultants were called in. According to Martijn Elings, responsible for this project on behalf of Antea Group, a dynamic process with the necessary challenges. 

The development of the high-voltage substation near Tilburg is a multi-year project and also spatially complex. Moreover, many different parties are involved, such as municipalities, the water board, the province, construction partners, local residents and nature organizations. "Each party has its own set of wishes and requirements. In addition, there are legal preconditions. It's up to us to get it all together and find a solution," Martijn explains. "That is certainly not always easy. Fortunately, we have all the knowledge and disciplines within Antea Group to respond to this. That is also immediately the beauty of this project. For us, it is a multidisciplinary project in which our specialists in the fields of water, soil and environmental issues, engineering works, archaeology and permits work together."

The necessary headaches

The existing water storage facility at the site of the new high-voltage substation to be built caused some headaches. Because how do you divert a water storage facility that holds thousands of cubic meters of water? A task for which TenneT called in Antea Group. "Together with the municipality of Tilburg, De Dommel Water Board and Natuurmonumenten (Nature Conservation Society), we looked at solutions for relocating the water storage facility. Bear in mind that here we are dealing with polluted soil, among other things, a legacy of Tilburg's textile industry, as well as protected species such as the badger and bat," Martijn explains. "Also, we had to take into account the existing trees and the express bike path and the provincial road N261. Factors we took into account in our design and for which we used a whole team of experts, soil specialists, hydrologists, engineers, ecologists and permit specialists."

From advice to execution

In order to arrive at a good design and advice, several studies have been done over the past 2-3 years. From soil research to ecology. Martijn: "What is special about this project for us is that it does not end with investigations, designs and advice, we are also responsible for the implementation of the relevant measures. To give an example; every day our ecologists are on site to monitor whether the work does not disturb the surrounding nature. But we also monitor, for example, whether the work is carried out in accordance with the soil remediation plan and specifications we have drawn up."

Utmost confidence

Finally, Martijn wants to emphasize the good cooperation with TenneT. "It is a very dynamic project in which you work closely together for many years and constantly have to puzzle between wishes, requirements and possibilities. Then it is very nice that a party like TenneT gives you full confidence."