Swedish developer Vattenfall has signed a contract with Swire Blue Ocean for the installation of turbines on the Hollandse Kust Zuid 1 & 2 and 3 & 4 offshore windfarms
The contract was signed approximately 18 months after Vattenfall announced it had selected Swire Blue Ocean to install the turbines on Hollandse Kust Zuid 3 & 4. It had already selected the vessel owner to install the turbines on Hollandse Kust Zuid 1 & 2.
Swire Blue Ocean said it plans to use its installation vessel Pacific Osprey to transport and install approximately 140 turbines.
It said the Hollandse Kust Zuid windfarms will use Siemens Gamesa’s latest direct drive offshore wind turbines, which could provide a capacity of up to 11 MW. The 11-MW-capable ‘DD Flex’ concept and SG 11.0-193 DD Flex offshore wind turbine was unveiled by Siemens Gamesa in November 2019.
In April 2019, Vattenfall said turbines for Hollandse Kust Zuid 1 & 2 would be 10-MW Siemens Gamesa units, and that if it was awarded Hollandse Kust Zuid 3 & 4, it could also use the same turbines on that project. The announcement about the contract with Swire Blue Ocean confirms a subsequent announcement from Siemens Gamesa and Vattenfall late in 2019 that both windfarms will now use turbines ultimately capable of 11 MW.
Pacific Osprey will use an upgraded 1,200-tonne capacity crane with a boom that has been extended by 15 m to install the turbines.
Swire Blue Ocean said it anticipates the projects will take approximately 12 months to complete, from loading the first turbine components to installing the last turbine.
Vattenfall’s acting head of its offshore business unit Catrin Jung said, “Early and close collaboration with suppliers like Swire Blue Ocean has been a deciding factor in our successful bid to build the Hollandse Kust Zuid windfarm. Today we take another step closer to the construction of this exciting project.”
Swire Blue Ocean chief executive Mikkel Gleerup said, “We worked very closely with Vattenfall to secure the bid with the Dutch authorities and will continue with this successful collaborative approach.
“We look forward to a safely and efficiently installing the turbines using Pacific Osprey’s upgraded crane capacity.”
Vattenfall won the tender to build Hollandse Kust Zuid 3 & 4 in July 2019, following a successful bid to build Hollandse Kust Zuid 1 & 2. Both tenders were won with a zero-subsidy bid.
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