The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO.nl) has awarded GEOxyz BVBA with the contract to carry out geophysical surveys at the IJmuiden Ver offshore wind zone.
Under the contract, GEOxyz will conduct geophysical investigations required to obtain the soil information at a part of the Ijmuiden Ver zone in the Dutch North Sea.
The acquired soil information will be made available to all potential bidders for offshore wind farms in the Netherlands.
The objective of the geophysical soil investigation is to improve the bathymetrical, morphological, and geological understanding of the wind farm zone, and the identification of objects in the designated wind farm sites.
Another objective is to obtain geophysical information on these locations, which is suitable for the preparation of geotechnical investigations and suitable to progress the design and installation requirements for offshore wind farms, including, but not limited to foundations and infield cables.
The contract, valued at around EUR 4.2 million, is expected to be completed by April 2021. The fieldwork is scheduled to start in spring/summer 2020.
As reported earlier, RVO.nl hired BLIX to support the soil investigations at the wind farm zone located some 62 kilometres offshore.
The 4 GW IJmuiden Ver is one of three sites identified by the Dutch Offshore Wind Energy Roadmap 2030, which have a combined capacity of 6.1 GW and are expected to help the Netherlands reach the target of 11.5 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030. The wind farms are expected to be commissioned between 2024 and 2030.
There will be four wind farm sites designated within the 400 km2 IJmuiden Ver zone, IJmuiden Ver I,II, III, and IV.
The Dutch government will issue two tenders for the permits to develop the sites, in 2023 for IJmuiden Ver I and II and in 2025 for IJmuiden Ver III and IV.