Deliver a high security of supply
Locked down in Dubai
TenneT colleague Herman Harreman stays committed to critical project during lockdown When the COVID-19 pandemic forced parts of society to shut down in 2020, many of TenneT’s specialists working in the field went into lockdown on location, so they could continue to work on our critical projects. With no possibility for travel, this meant some of our people spending long periods away from their families in far-away countries.
Herman Harreman, who has travelled extensively for TenneT throughout his 27-year career, is an example. When he said goodbye to his wife in January to work on the construction of our HKZ Alpha and Beta platform in Dubai, he expected to be home again before long. Little did he know he wouldn’t see her or his family again until October, as his team went into lockdown in Dubai, with no possibility for overseas travel.
“Due to supply more than one million households with clean wind energy per year, HKZ Alpha and Beta is a crucial project for TenneT and society as a whole. The company needed the team to stay to continue working on the project, so it didn’t fall behind schedule. I was happy to do this, but it was a challenging time. Our team of about 15 people was essentially confined to solitary lockdown, including three weeks when we could not go out at all in Dubai.” Thanks to the team’s dedication and commitment, the project was not delayed by COVID-19.
Back home, the TenneT team did everything they could to help Herman and his colleagues in the field. “I stayed in very close daily touch with the COVID-19 crisis team at our head office, which made us feel supported and connected. We also made sure we had regular online gatherings among our team to make sure everyone was doing ok,” says Herman, who was officially in charge of safety. “The meaning of safety in a broader sense took on a new meaning for me during this strange time,’’ he adds.