Buss Ports' Terminal To Handle 45 Monopile Foundations for RWE Project
By Simon West
Buss Terminal Eemshaven in the Netherlands has handled the first eight monopile foundations for RWE’s Nordseecluster A offshore wind farm project in the German North Sea.
Each foundation measures 85 meters in length and weighs 1,500 tons – equivalent to the weight of about 1,000 small cars, said Buss Terminal Eemshaven. The units were produced and delivered by Dajin Heavy Industry.
A total of 45 foundations are expected to pass through Buss Terminal Eemshaven this year, the Dutch terminal operator said, with 44 designed to carry wind turbines and one to support the facility’s transformer substation.
The Nordseecluster project is being developed in two phases. Nordseecluster A, with a capacity of 660 megawatts (MW), will begin foundation transport from Eemshaven this summer. Located some 50 kilometers north of the island of Juist, its 44 wind turbines will be installed next year and are set to be fully operational by early 2027. The second phase, Nordseecluster B, will add 900 MW from 60 additional wind turbines, with commercial operations set to begin in early 2029.
“With the delivery and safe unloading of the first foundations by Dajin, we have passed an important milestone on the way to building our Nordseecluster,” said Thomas Michel, chief operating office, RWE Offshore Wind.
“With an overall capacity of around 1.6 gigawatts, it is the largest wind project currently being built off the German coast. We need an enormous amount of storage space and an excellent port infrastructure for the construction process – both of which are available at the Buss Terminal Eemshaven. We are currently creating synergies by also handling the foundations for our Danish offshore wind farm Thor at this port and will use it as the base for our Dutch OranjeWind project as well.”
A Leading Offshore Hub
Buss Terminal Eemshaven, part of Buss Ports, has also announced a series of upgrades designed to strengthen its role as a key logistics hub for handling offshore and other heavy-duty cargo. The terminal operator has added an extra 15 hectares of heavy-duty storage area with a capacity to support loads up to 30 tons per square meter and a 200-meter quayside connecting to the Beatrixhaven quay.
The overhaul has boosted total capacity to some 460,000 square meters, making it the largest offshore logistics terminal operator in the European North Sea, it said.
“This expansion will allow us to meet the increasing demands of our clients, particularly in the offshore wind sector, and to continue to provide flexible logistics solutions across a range of industries,” said Marc Wegman, managing director of Buss Terminal Eemshaven.
Buss Terminal Eemshaven will be exhibiting at Breakbulk Europe.
Photo credit: RWE
