Fraunhofer IWES, together with its partners Tetra Tech RPS Energy and Geowynd, was commissioned by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) to further develop the 565 square kilometer Doordewind Wind Farm Zone (DDWWFZ).
The aim of the project is to prepare, interpret and integrate marine exploration data for potential investors to assess the cable, layout and foundation conditions within the DDWWFZ and assist their preparation and submission of bids within the Wind Farm Zone.
The contract, set to last two years, includes the planning of upcoming offshore geotechnical site investigations in DDWWFZ, the development of an Integrated Ground model (IGM) for the Investigation Area and the preparation of a comprehensive Geotechnical Interpretative Report.
To cover the broad scope of tasks, Fraunhofer IWES will work with RPS and Geowynd IGM.
To develop an IGM, all subsoil exploration data, taken from three geophysical and two geotechnical campaigns at DDWWFZ, are harmonized, reprocessed, reinterpreted, integrated and incorporated in an IGM. Predicted geotechnical parameters can then be generated across the area, enabling flexible planning of wind farm layouts, says the company.
In parallel, a geotechnical laboratory testing program is slated to be designed to perform laboratory tests on the marine soil samples. The results of the geotechnical laboratory tests will be evaluated, interpreted and integrated into the IGM and the parameterization process of the GIR. Both reports will be issued to RVO, which will publish these documents in the public domain.
“We are very pleased that the capabilities and experience of our team and those of our British partners were able to convince RVO to award the project to Fraunhofer IWES and partners,” says Jan Hebig, group leader in the Subsurface Investigation department at Fraunhofer IWES.
“We are very much looking forward to working with RVO and the opportunity to once again actively and innovatively contribute to the further expansion of offshore wind power in Europe.”
