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Work for the future

In the coming years, the transition from fossil fuels to sustainable energy sources will require the realisation of many new provisions and countless adjustments to existing infrastructure and facilities. The energy transition is therefore leading the way to a significant development in Iv-Consult’s work. After all, there is still much to be done in the market, and the transition demands innovations. It is the work that is needed now that will secure the future.

Removal of old platforms

"Many of the projects in which Iv-Consult is involved are related to the energy transition,” explains Maarten van de Waal, Director of Iv-Consult. “We are involved in a very broad sense. The energy transition includes many aspects. We devise solutions for removing various old oil and gas structures, including performing feasibility studies, structural testing, structural integrity analyses, and lift studies. Besides this, we are also involved in the realisation of new, sustainable energy generation.”

Offshore wind

Iv-Consult helps its sister company Iv-Offshore & Energy to develop the designs for transformer platforms, providing support in structural steel engineering.

In addition, we also design auxiliary structures for the installation of offshore wind fields, which, among other things, include the grillage and the sea-fastening design, but also the lift studies. We are increasingly focusing our attention on designing offshore wind tooling that can be used for installing wind turbines at sea - yet another component of the energy transition.

Innovation in offshore wind

Our ambition in the energy transition, wind energy and greater water depths was the reason to conduct extensive research into the possibilities of a floating wind turbine anchored to the seabed with tendons (cables). This eventually led to an innovative method for a wind turbine suitable for greater water depths that can be towed to its destination by tugboats and complete the installation itself. This specific system proved to be so innovative that it has been patented.

Adaptation of the electricity network

There is also still much work to be done on land to actually realise the energy transition. “On land, for example, the electricity network has to be adapted,” Maarten explains. “In the past, electricity came from power plants and was then defused and distributed throughout the country. Now there are new locations where electricity is generated, which demands a different electricity network layout for the distribution. This requires new or modified electrical routing throughout the country. We perform the calculations and drafting for the new pylons, both the classic framework structures and the newer wintrack pylons. Working towards the energy transition reaches much further for us than offshore wind alone.”

A new type of high-voltage pylon was developed a few years ago: the Wintrack. This innovative pylon is characterised by its sleek design, narrow magnetic field, and low maintenance. Based on the lessons
learned from the first two generations of pylons, further development has taken place for a third generation with a new, more stringent set of design requirements. At the beginning of 2020, the realisation of the Wintrack III generation for the North-West 380 kV, Vierverlaten – Eemshaven route (Project NW380) and Southwest- West 380 kV, Borssele – Rilland route (Project ZWW380), was started. Iv-Consult was brought in to conduct the reviews and provide a second opinion for the pylon foundation designs for these projects. Part of the client’s requirements was the full-scale testing of the integral design for the constructive feasibility of the foundations and pylons and the strength of the outrigger connections and clips (component testing). The deformation behaviour of the pylons was also tested and verified. In addition to strength, the dynamic behaviour and management and maintenance aspects were also included in the reviews.

Challenges in an innovative market

“The energy transition encourages innovation and development in the market”, Maarten continues. “To continue to play a leading role in this transition, we need to join in with this development. We must continue to gather knowledge to deliver smarter solutions continuously. And in doing so, we must also include the knowledge and experiences of our customers; they can indicate whether a solution does or doesn’t work in practice. This is just one of the reasons why we value our relationship with our customers. An excellent example of this type of collaboration is with HMC, for which we already carry out a lot of complex decommissioning work.”

“The greatest challenge is that nobody knows what the future holds. Due to the rise of solar and wind energy, the current electricity network will be overhauled, and full attention will be given to constructing new wind farms at sea. In addition to this, developments in other alternative energy sources such as nuclear energy or biomass are also in full swing. Much work is being focused on the development of hydrogen or other energy carriers. We’re not exactly sure what this will bring, but one thing is certain; we must all join in with these innovations.”

Working on the future

“What is ‘the’ energy project of the future?” Maarten considers for a moment: “In the future, energy will be generated by multiple sources: sun, wind, nuclear energy, oil and gas. All of these have pros and cons. A varied supply will be needed to contend with the peaks and dips in demand for supply. Developments are taking place on a global scale, so it’s also interesting to examine the progress abroad. The energy transition is now building momentum, particularly in the United States. The US is a few years behind Europe in offshore wind development, but a growing demand can be observed there too. We in Europe, with our accumulated knowledge, can benefit from this.”