Sofia Wind Farm

The New Sofia Wind Farm

In May, Van Oord began the construction of the Sofia Wind Farm, one of the largest offshore wind projects in the world. The park will have enough capacity to power 1.2 million average British households. To achieve this, Van Oord will install a total of 100 monopile foundations in the North Sea at the Dogger Bank, located 195 kilometers off the northeast coast of the United Kingdom.

Construction of Auxiliary Structures

In December 2023, Rijnstaal, in collaboration with Solidd, was commissioned to supply the Aeolus vessel with various auxiliary structures. These included grillages, platforms, and seafastenings, with some of Van Oord’s existing equipment being upgraded to meet the specific needs of the project. It’s great to see how a project like this allows for the reuse of existing equipment, giving it a second life. This is sustainability at its best. Due to the ship’s departure in March, the deadline for this task was particularly tight.

Logistics

The auxiliary structures produced by Rijnstaal were first pre-fabricated in our (and sometimes external) workshops using custom profiles made from sheet material. These prefabricated parts were of such large scale that they could only be assembled on-site, as transporting them by road was not feasible. The two large platforms, approximately 20 by 40 meters and weighing 80 tons each, were transported over water. At ATM terminals in Amsterdam, we supported Van Oord for six weeks on-site with deck mobilization. This entire process was completed with zero incidents or injuries.

Custom Solutions

This was an incredibly interesting and challenging project. We are extremely proud of the expertise we have within our team, with our talented employees at the core. Custom solutions, tight deadlines, on-site welding, logistical challenges, adapting existing equipment, and above all, excellent teamwork, were essential to the success of this project.