A contract has been awarded to construct an offshore windfarm in the Ijsselmeer in the Netherlands, the lake formed when the Zuiderzee and was closed off by a man-made dyke, the Afsluitdijk.
Windpark Fryslân has awarded a conditional contract to build the nearshore windfarm to Zuiderzeewind, a consortium consisting of Van Oord and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy.
The contract covers constructing the nearshore windfarm and servicing operations for at least 16 years following completion. Van Oord and Siemens Gamesa were named preferred contractor for the project on 3 August 2018. The final investment decision (FID) is expected to take place in Q3 2019.
Windpark Fryslân will be built south of Afsluitdijk near Breezanddijk once financial close has been achieved. With a capacity of over 382.7 MW, the windfarm is expected to provide more than 70% of the Province of Friesland’s 2020 renewable energy target of 530 MW.
The project will use 89 Siemens Gamesa wind turbines arranged in a cluster. Each SWT-DD-130 wind turbine has a capacity of 4.3 MW and a rotor diameter of 130 m. Once an FID has been taken, construction will begin this year and is intended to be fully operational by 2021.
Van Oord is responsible for designing, manufacturing and installing the foundations and cables. In addition, Van Oord will deliver the equipment to install the turbines. Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy is responsible for designing, fabricating and commissioning the turbines and onshore substation at Breezanddijk. An integrated design team will bring together personnel from both companies.
The windfarm construction includes creating an island nature reserve south of Afsluitdijk, with a land area of 2 ha and a submerged area of 25 ha. While constructing the windfarm, the island will be used as a work platform and subsequently developed into a bird sanctuary.
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