©Ørsted/SkyPictures
Over the weekend the first monopile foundations have been installed at the 752 MW Borssele 1 + 2 offshore wind farm, project owner Ørsted reported. The wind farm, the first in the Netherlands for the Danish developer, is planned to be fully operational by the end of this year. It will then be the largest Dutch offshore wind farm.
In total, 94 Siemens Gamesa 8 MW wind turbine will be installed on monopile foundations some 22 kilometers off the coast of the Dutch province of Zeeland, at water depths varying from 14 to 39.7 meters. Jan Wind, Senior Project Manager for Borssele 1 & 2, elaborates: “The first monopile installed was also the heaviest and tallest on the wind farm, weighing 1,188 tons and measuring 76 meters. The diameter at the bottom of the foundation is 8.5 meters, wide enough to hold a football goal.”
The foundations are produced by Sif, EEW SPC, EEW OSB and Danish Bladt Industries. The installation is performed by DEME, using their heavy-lift vessel Innovation. According to Ørsted, the first turbine installation activities will start in April this year.
