RVO Opens Geotechnical Investigation Tender for Doordewind Offshore Wind Zone

April 11, 2024, by Adrijana Buljan

The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) has launched a tender for geotechnical investigations at the Doordewind zone, one of the three new areas the Dutch Government designated in 2022 as part of the plan to add more offshore wind capacity.

Valued at a total of more than EUR 42 million, the contract will be awarded for offshore geotechnical investigations at the Investigation Area in the Doordewind Wind Farm Zone sites I and II. The data obtained through the work will be published for use by the participants in the future offshore wind development tenders for the two Doordewind sites.

The offered contract will be divided into two lots.

Lot 1 involves an offshore seabed campaign including seabed CPTs up to 60 metres below seafloor (bsf), including SCPTs and TCPTs. The work under this lot will also include an offshore vibrocore campaign with samples up to 6 metres bsf, with an associated laboratory programme.

The second lot covers an offshore borehole campaign including laboratory testing. The campaign consists of boreholes with a target depth of 40-60 metres bsf, including sampling, with samples being subject to a laboratory testing programme containing static and cyclic testing and MIC testing. Boreholes will also be subject to in-situ PCPT/SCPTSs and PS logging.

The deadline to submit proposals to RVO is 10 May 2024 and the contract will be in effect from July 2024 until 1 January 2027.

The Doordewind zone is part of the Dutch Government’s Offshore Wind Energy Roadmap 2030, which aims to accelerate the development of offshore wind in the Netherlands.

The wind farm zone is located approximately 77 kilometres off the north coast of the Netherlands and will be the first wind farm to connect to Eemshaven. The total wind farm area is about 580 square kilometres and is planned to contain a total capacity of 4 GW divided over two sites of 2 GW each.

The 2 GW Doordewind I and the 2 GW Doordewind II are planned to be put up for auction in 2027, with the commissioning expected in 2031.

At the beginning of this year, RVO awarded a contract for geophysical investigations to Fugro, which is expected to start fieldwork this month using its geophysical vessel Fugro Pioneer.