Developer Parkwind and marine contractor Jan De Nul Group have begun seabed preparation works for the 219 MW Belgian offshore wind farm Northwester 2. In addition to a new type of wind turbines, the foundations feature a new design of external access platforms. At the same time, Jan De Nul will deploy its custom-built monopile gripper for the first time.
The Northwester 2 wind farm will count 23 V164-9.5MW MHI Vestas offshore wind turbines and will be the first project using this model. It is the seventh offshore wind farm off the Belgian coast. The turbines on monopile foundations will link through an offshore high voltage station to Elia’s Offshore Switch Yard (OSY) to export its electricity. As of 2020, the Northwester 2 wind farm will power approximately 220,000 households in Belgium.
New External Access Platform
The Northwester 2 project will introduce a new design for the external access platforms on the foundations: the box platform. The platform (see picture on the right) has an innovative design developed and patented by Parkwind that consists only of steel plate material.
Peter Caluwaerts, Project Director Northwester 2 at Parkwind states the box platform 'reduces the overall cost of the foundation fabrication by introducing ship building techniques in the fabrication process. Moreover, the box platform simplifies and reduces offshore maintenance activities over the lifetime of the windfarm.'
Seabed Levelling
Jan De Nul has just finished the offshore scour protection works on the different wind turbine locations. At each location, the company’s subsea rock installation vessel Simon Stevin has installed a 32-metre diameter wide and 700-millimetre thick rock layer to stabilise the seabed around the foundation. Jan De Nul is now gearing up to install the first foundation in the coming days. The monopile foundations for the wind turbines will be hammered directly through the rock layer into the seabed. The marine contractor will use its installation vessel Vole au vent to install the foundations.
Advanced Monopile Gripper
Jan De Nul Group has equipped the Vole au vent with the most advanced monopile gripper to date, delivered by Huisman. The monopile gripper has a modular, tailor-made design and is unique in its capacity and versatility. It was ordered from Huisman in October 2018. The gripper allows use on a wide range of projects already under construction, but also in the future for which the specifications are yet to be determined. Jan De Nul Group will deploy this gripper for the first time on the Northwester 2 project.
<- Picture by Huisman.
Picture (top): Jan De Nul will deploy its installation vessel Vole au Vent for the Northwester 2 installation works.
