Double Dutch | Netherlands starts 'largest ever' seabed sweep at offshore wind zone duo
Fugro lands geotechnical site investigations for Ijmuiden Ver, Nederwiek and Hollandse Kust areas that together will host almost 5GW
Geo-data specialist Fugro has been awarded contracts by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) for geotechnical investigation at the IJmuiden Ver Site V-VI, Nederwiek (zuid) Site I and Hollandse Kust (west) Site VIII offshore wind zones.
The seabed sweep – said to be the largest campaign undertaken to date by the RVO – will be for an area slated to reach a combined capacity of 4.7GW, and forms part of the Dutch offshore wind energy roadmap to 2030.
The comprehensive geo-data will be used by wind farm developers as input for preliminary engineering design studies and future tenders, and will also be available for power cable design, archaeology and marine biology investigations.
Fugro Group Europe and Africa director Erik Jan Bijvank claimed the work would help the Dutch government "in achieving its new fast track sustainability goals".
Fugro specialist geotechnical vessels will start the surveys in March next year and are slated to continue into the fourth quarter of 2023, with further processing, laboratory testing and reporting of results planned in 2024.
The fieldwork will comprise investigations of the seabed and subsurface. Increased laboratory capacity onboard the vessels will ensure faster processing of results, the company said.
Subsequent extensive laboratory testing will take place in Fugro’s recently extended laboratories in the UK and Belgium.
(Copyright)