Ocean Infinity, Fugro win contracts for Dutch geotechnical surveys

The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) has awarded Fugro and Ocean Infinity AB contracts to carry out geotechnical investigations at the Doordewind zone, one of the three new areas designated by the Dutch Government in 2022 to increase offshore wind capacity.

RVO launched the tender for offshore geotechnical investigations at the Investigation Area in the Doordewind Wind Farm Zone sites I and II in April this year. The contracts, allocated in two lots and announced on August 2, are worth more than €29 million in total.

Lot 1 involves an offshore seabed campaign including seabed CPTs up to 60 meters below seafloor (bsf), including SCPTs and TCPTs. The work will include an offshore vibrocore campaign with samples up to 6 meters bsf, with an associated laboratory program. This lot was awarded to Ocean Infinity and the value of the contract is €6.5 million.

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

Lot 2 has been awarded to Fugro, with the contract valued at over €22.9 million. The contracts are estimated to last from July 2024 until January 1, 2027. The Doordewind zone is included in the Dutch Government’s Offshore Wind Energy Roadmap 2030, which aims to fast-track offshore wind development in the Netherlands.

The zone is situated 77 kilometers off the north coast of the Netherlands and will be the first wind farm to connect to Eemshaven. The 580-square-kilometre wind farm area 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 will be up for auction in 2027, with the commissioning expected in 2031.

This is not the first time that Fugro will be conducting surveys at the Doordewind zone. In February, the Dutch company received a contract from RVO for geophysical investigations, with the data also expected to support the planning of geotechnical investigations and the design of the offshore wind farm and its installations.