Fugro has secured a contract to undertake marine site characterization work at the Hollandse Kust (west) wind farm zone, off the Dutch coast.
Fugro secured the deal through a tender process, which represents the largest geotechnical site characterization programme tendered by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency RVO.nl, part of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy.
With project preparations underway and a target start date in April.
The geotechnical programme will continue until September and comprises a seabed investigation and borehole drilling.
Fugro will also deliver standard and advanced laboratory testing and an integrated geological/geotechnical soil model which will be used by future developers of the wind farm to prepare their bids.
Fugro will utilize its vessels for the work, including geotechnical drilling vessel Fugro Scout, along with the SEACALF MkIV system for seabed cone penetration testing.
“For these large offshore projects, the availability of efficient systems and having access to the right resources is crucial; being able to mobilize three dedicated geotechnical vessels for this project has been a major part of the success of this tender,” said Sven Plasman , Fugro’s project director. “Our SEACALF MkIV system enables us to acquire high quality data in a safe manner, and deliver on time to RVO.nl. It is now the geotechnical system of choice in offshore wind farm developments worldwide, from the United States to Taiwan.”
Ruud de Bruijne , RVO.nl project manager, added, “It’s very important that the Netherlands Enterprise Agency prepares the best possible package of site studies for future developers of this offshore wind farm. We are confident that Fugro can enable us to do this, delivering high quality geodata for the offshore wind energy permit tender.”
With a total capacity of 1400 MW, the Hollandse Kust (west) wind farm lies in the coastal waters of the province of Zuid-Holland, 51 kilometers off the west coast of the Netherlands.