Fugro Netherlands Marine has won the contract to carry out geophysical investigations at the IJmuiden Ver V and VI offshore wind sites in the Dutch North Sea.

The IJmuiden Ver V and VI areas are located in the northern part of the IJmuiden Ver wind farm zone, and the investigation area covers approximately 250 square kilometres.

The two areas will be able to accommodate around 2 GW of offshore wind capacity, on top of the 4 GW of capacity already planned in the IJmuiden Ver zone.

According to the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), the intention is to carry out the field work in the second and third quarter of 2022.

The objective of the geophysical soil investigation is to improve the bathymetrical, morphological, and geological understanding and to identify objects in the designated wind farm sites.

A second objective is to obtain geophysical information on these locations, which is suitable for the preparation of geotechnical investigations and for the design and installation requirements of offshore wind farms.

The Dutch government is set to issue two tenders for the permits to develop the IJmuiden Ver I, II, III, and IV zones. In 2023, developers will bid for IJmuiden Ver I and II sites, and in 2025 a tender will be launched for IJmuiden Ver III and IV.

Fugro has previously worked on the development of an integrated ground model and a geotechnical interpretative report for the first four zones, as well as on geotechnical investigations for the sites.