Van Oord Commissions Innovative Borssele 5

Van Oord, Investri Offshore and Green Giraffe have completed commissioning of the Borssele 5 offshore wind farm.

The project, developed under the Two Towers flag, features two Vestas 9.5MW turbines and has been designated as an innovation site, situated within site 3 of the Borssele zone.

The wind farm includes several innovations to support reduced cost and environmental impacts of offshore wind.

These include a submerged slip joint, designed by Van Oord, the first time one has been used on a full-sized offshore wind turbine on a fully commercial basis.

DNV GL certified the design and manufacturing of the slip joint in 2019.

Other technologies at the wind farm include thermally sprayed aluminium, impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) optimisation and oval cable entry holes.

The seabed surrounding the two Borssele 5 wind turbines is fitted with eco-friendly scour protection.

Oysters will be placed on the protective layer of rock on the seabed to improve biodiversity and the natural habitat for aquatic wildlife.

Two Towers has also entered into a partnership with Dutch energy company Vandebron to sell the electricity generated.

Van Oord was contracted as the balance of plant contractor for this project and deployed a wide range of equipment at the project, including offshore installation vessel Aeolus, the trencher Dig-It and cable-laying vessel Nexus.

All of the innovations at the Borssele Site V have been developed by Van Oord in cooperation with other research partners.

'We are extremely pleased to have finished the construction phase of our project on time, within budget and with a seamless implementation of the technical innovations.

“This would not have been possible without the strong cooperation from our construction partners Van Oord and Vestas and with respect to the grid connection, TenneT.

“Our applied innovations will not only contribute to a further reduction of LCoE of offshore wind but also improve the health and safety profile of the industry,” said Erik de Boer, Investri managing partner.