Buss Terminal Eemshaven, part of Hamburg-based Buss Ports, has welcomed the first batch of monopile foundations for RWE ’s offshore wind farm Thor at their base port of Eemshaven in the Netherlands.
The first batch comprises eight monopiles. They were offloaded and stored at the terminal from where Buss provides storage space, heavy unloading equipment and operators at the port, whilst also managing the port logistics.
The load-in process of the first eight monopiles was completed within a week at the terminal, handled by an experienced team of engineers and stevedores operating SPMTs and special equipment to transport and ensure the storage of the foundations onto specially constructed dunes.
They are the first of in total 72 monopiles. With lengths up to 100 meters and a weight of 1,500 tonnes, each foundation is as heavy as 1,000 small cars. The 72 foundations will find their new home in the Danish North Sea, approximately 22 kilometers off the coast of Jutland.
Installation is expected to start in spring 2025. Turbine installation works are scheduled to be carried out from the Port of Esbjerg in Denmark, starting in 2026. The Port of Thorsminde will serve as an operation and maintenance base, creating 50 – 60 local jobs. Construction of the new service building of RWE is expected to start later this year.
Once fully commissioned in 2027, Thor will have a capacity of more than 1 GW and will be capable of providing electricity for the equivalent of more than a million Danish households. Source: Buss / RWE Images: ©RWE