The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) plans to publish a European tender in the first half of April for geotechnical surveys of the Huibertgat and Ballonplaat sites in the Netherlands.
The objective of the tender is to conclude an agreement with one or more tenderers who can carry out geotechnical investigations at the nearshore Huibertgat and on the Ballonplaat to the north of Rottumerplaat, the Netherlands.
The European tender will consist of two different lots, divided on the basis of water depth and workability, according to the prior information notice RVO issued on 26 February.
The exact scope of work is planned to be determined in the near future, but both cone penetration tests (CPT) and borehole sampling are anticipated for both lots, according to RVO.
Both investigations are planned to be executed in the third quarter of 2024.
The results of the geotechnical investigations are part of the Eemshaven Offshore Wind Energy Connection Programme (Programma Aansluiting Wind op Zee, PAWOZ Eemshaven) and will be used for a feasibility study.
PAWOZ investigates the possibilities for future cable and pipeline routes from the North Sea to Eemshaven.
The programme is exploring the possibilities of connecting 4.7 GW of offshore wind energy to the grid by the end of 2031 as well as options beyond that, according to RVO.
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The Netherlands aims to have 21 GW of operating offshore wind capacity by 2030, corresponding to around 75 per cent of the country’s current electricity consumption.
While working on bringing the installed capacity to 21 GW over the following several years, the Dutch government will also get busy with realising its offshore wind target set for 2050, by when the Netherlands is planned to have 70 GW of offshore wind installed in its North Sea waters.