On the 7th of September 2020 the offshore construction works for Wind Farm Fryslân were started by driving the first of 89 foundation piles into the bottom of the IJsselmeer. This is an important milestone for this special project, which is expected to supply green energy for approximately 500,000 Dutch households by 2021.
Unique working platform
Wind Farm Fryslân is being built in the Frisian part of the IJsselmeer at Breezanddijk. Because of the shallows in the IJsselmeer and the limited width of the locks, it is not possible to work with standard offshore wind installation vessels. That is why Van Oord built a unique work platform the size of half a soccer pitch, the so-called “Sarens Soccer Pitch”. This very large working platform hosts a giant crane which will lift and install the foundations. After that, the working platform will also be used for installing the wind turbines.
In the next few months, contracting consortium Zuiderzeewind will be working seven days a week, 24 hours a day, on the installation of the foundations. Weather permitting, about two foundation piles will be driven into the bottom of the IJsselmeer every day. Driving a foundation pile takes between 30 and 90 minutes of hammering. All foundation piles are scheduled to be in place by January 2021.
Custom work in the IJsselmeer
Wind Farm Fryslân wind turbines will be placed in the IJsselmeer as a hexagon-shaped cluster. This arrangement ensures that the visual impact is minimized as much as possible. The wind park construction takes place in different phases. The first phase is the driving and installation of the 89 foundation piles into the bottom of the IJsselmeer. Next, underground cables will be installed in the soil between the foundation piles and the transformer station. Finally, the construction of the 89 wind turbines will start in the spring of 2021 and the Wind Farm will be put into operation in the summer of 2021.
Sustainable future for Fryslân
Wind Farm Fryslân is being built by contractor consortium Zuiderzeewind, which consists of Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy and Van Oord Offshore Wind. The wind farm includes eighty-nine 4.3-MW wind turbines. The resulting capacity of 382.7 MW will enable Wind Farm Fryslân to provide green energy to approximately 500,000 households. In addition to the
89 wind turbines in the IJsselmeer, a substation is being built at Breezanddijk and a construction island and nature reserve at Kornwerderzand is nearing completion. For more information please visit our website, www.windparkfryslan.nl.
Pondera initiated the project in 2008 together with Ventolines. Until now Pondera was responsible for all development work, including feasibility studies, design, extensive nature research, permits, EIA, stakeholder management in close collaboration with Ventolines.
