North Holland power grid expanded using low-emission HDD
For the installation of a new medium-voltage connection near Den Helder, Brownline surveyed an HDD crossing in October 2025. By relying on the most advanced steering tool, the pilot was drilled with the highest precision.
New medium-voltage network
The Koegras is a polder in the northernmost part of North Holland, near Den Helder. The grid operator in this region is working on a significant expansion of the power grid to ensure sufficient capacity for housing development and business park expansion in the future. In the Koegras polder, the existing medium-voltage network is being replaced.
In its place, a total of 6.4 km / 4 mi of new cables are being installed. To install these cables with minimal impact on the environment, horizontal directional drilling was used, including one crossing of almost 700 m / 2300 ft.
Hydrogen-powered HDD
Contractor A.Hak carried out this HDD crossing with low emissions: the 80-ton drilling machine ran on power generated from hydrogen. This way, the emissions of this project were reduced – a successful way to make the HDD industry more sustainable.
The design of this crossing included two horizontal curves of 16° and 6°, the latter coinciding with the vertical exit curve. The drill was surveyed using the Drillguide Gyro Steering Tool, the most advanced steering tool in the world. With GPS track, additional checks were carried out from surface level at several locations. In doing so, the drill was kept on the right course with extreme precision and exited with a perfect punch-out.
