Nordex Group has completed the first phase of Vattenfall’s 300MW Wieringermeer wind farm in the Netherlands.
The first stage of the project comprises 50 N117/3600 turbines, which were connected to the grid in August.
Construction of the next phase, a further 32 N117/3600 turbines, is already under way 60km north of Amsterdam.
Wieringermeer is a polder – a diked area of reclaimed land seven metres below sea level – measuring 300km square in size.
Nordex said the area is crisscrossed by canals and also includes a protected forest, making it a particular challenge in terms of logistics and construction.
As there wasn’t much in terms of suitable storage space available, the company delivered the towers, nacelles, drive trains and hubs as and when they were required.
The turbines came in seven different nacelle configurations.
Nordex said the foundations had to be piled and also raised by 1.5 metres to prevent flooding due to the low bearing capacity of the ground.
In addition, rare bird breeding restrictions posed limits on access and operation to some turbines and the number of cranes allowed on the construction site.
To meet the specific requirements of the project Nordex modified its processes.
For example, a token-based permitting system ensured that it was possible to safely assign multiple construction teams reliably to specific turbines, the company said.
“This approach avoided work scope conflicts and maximised efficiency,” it added.
In addition, new functions such as a technical project manager were implemented to act as an interface with engineering and other technical departments.
Nordex chief executive Jose Luis Blanco said: “We attach key importance to flexibility. These adjustments show that we understand our customers’ requirements and the challenges they face.
Some of these new processes are already being incorporated successfully in other major utility scale projects.”
Nordex said that at peak construction, eight large cranes and over 120 people were working on site at any one time.
To ensure that this large number of people were able to work safely on site despite the Covid-19 pandemic, Nordex recruited a Dutch paramedic in addition to implementing general travel restrictions and hygiene precautions.
“These precautions provided the employees with a certain degree of protection from the heightened risk of infection through their work, and the associated contact with many people, and ultimately proved to be successful: at no time was it necessary to interrupt work on the project due to the pandemic,” Nordex said.