Primarily built in the Netherlands
Work on Ostwind 3 is well underway, with which the consortium is responsible for the engineering, procurement, construction and installation of the Ostwind 3 platform for the Windanker wind farm. Most of the platform will be built in the Stormpolder in Krimpen aan den IJssel, the new facility of HSM Offshore Energy. This is particularly exciting for new and future colleagues involved with Ostwind 3 or Gennaker. Such platforms are often built outside the Netherlands or Europe, but this is happening here due to the cooperation within the joint venture.
“We are used to designing and engineering and seeing it all unfold on a screen”, Frank continues, “but this is being built on our doorstep, which is extra special. We get to see the result of our engineering work with our own eyes.”

Reduce dependency
The fact that we are even involved in the Netherlands in designing and constructing three platforms with a total capacity of around 1.2 gigawatts is extraordinary. For economic reasons, much of this type of work has left the Netherlands in recent decades, but several major events have shaken up the Netherlands and Europe.

According to Frank, the blockade of the Suez Canal in March 2021 is one such event. As a result, the global movement of goods was delayed for weeks, significantly impacting the global economy. Reducing transportation dependency and gaining control of the supply chain is therefore critical. In addition, devising, designing, engineering and producing locally (in this case for offshore transformer platforms) is crucial in becoming less dependent on overseas supplies. Frank: “But incidents such as the war in Ukraine and the outbreak of the corona pandemic have also brought about great change. Together we decided to become less dependent and this is an excellent example of that.”

The fact that these giant steps are being taken is a victory in itself, says Frank: “I recently read an article from twenty years ago. It was about wind turbines and how there wasn’t much of a future in them because we didn’t have the raw materials. And look where we are now. So this gives me a positive vibe. We want and need to become more sustainable, and these are promising signals that things are moving in the right direction.”

Close cooperation
The HSI Joint Venture will work together in the coming years to develop Ostwind 3 and Gennaker OSS Zingst and OSS Darß. There is a lot of work to be done. 
Iv-Offshore & Energy is mainly responsible for the design and procurement of components. HSM and Smulders will handle the construction, and the joint venture will be jointly responsible for commissioning, installation and connection. It goes without saying that we will work closely together to make the project successful.

Ostwind 3 will be installed as part of the Windanker wind farm: 42 kilometres northeast of the German island of Rügen. The two Gennaker platforms will be installed 
15 kilometres north of the German peninsula of Fischland-Darß-Zingst.

With both projects, the Baltic Sea is becoming an increasingly important offshore wind energy production location for 50Hertz. At the time of writing, Gennaker is the largest offshore wind project in the region. Ostwind and Gennaker’s teams will be significantly expanded with new personnel. Again, a great opportunity, says Frank. “For an engineer, this is the icing on the cake. With projects like this, you can give your career a real 
boost.”