As Aratis, we are proud to be responsible for the construction management of the realisation phase of the Windplanblauw wind farm on behalf of Vattenfall and SwifterwinT.
In addition to the onshore wind farm, which is now ready, the first turbines, out of a total of 24, are now being built on the “custom made” foundations for the nearshore part.
Logistically, there is a lot involved. The turbine parts are transported to the port in Amsterdam by seagoing vessels. There, the parts are prepared for installation and shipped via pontoons to the IJsselmeer. Three custom-made pontoons have been designed for the project. Two pontoons with three tower sections upright with the nacelle and drivetrain next to it, and one pontoon with three blades on it. The towers are more than 56 meters high and weigh more than 600 tons including nacelle and drivetrain. The pontoon with blades is almost 110 meters long.
This requires careful transport by a combination of push and tugs. When the pontoons are fully loaded, they are shipped via the North Sea Canal and the IJ to the IJsselmeer. There, the individual parts are mounted with a 1,350-tonne crane with a boom length of 144 metres. The first turbine in the IJsselmeer is now standing, so there are still 23 chances to see the pontoons sail past Amsterdam Central Station.
