Boskalis Sustainability Report 2020

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wind farm project. We are transporting and installing the five turbines 15 kilometers off the coast of Aberdeen where they will be anchored at a depth of 60 to 80 meters. In September 2020 the project started with the installation of anchors and chains on the seabed for which we deployed a heavy anchor handling tug. Meanwhile, the first floating foundations were transported from Ferrol in Spain to Rotterdam, on board our semi-submersible barge Fjord. The wind turbines were mounted on the floating foundations in Rotterdam before being towed to the wind farm. The benefits of floating wind farms include the ability to install them in much deeper water than fixed farms, therefore opening up many new prospects. The size of the floating offshore wind market is expected to grow substantially as costs are

predicted to drop, making this an economically attractive alternative. As this market becomes more established, floating wind farms could represent significant new business opportunities for Boskalis. Research into the ecological effects of offshore wind farms Boskalis is part of a consortium of players in the Netherlands conducting research into the impact of offshore wind farms on sand waves and the ecological systems they support. “If we understand the behavior of these sand waves,” says Thomas Vijverberg, Deputy Manager Hydronamic at Boskalis, “we can better manage impacts our operations may have on marine ecosystems.” Rising demand for energy and the trend towards renewables is fueling a predicted growth in offshore wind farms. Given that the average lifetime of a wind farm is 30 years, incorporating knowledge of seabed dynamics into the layout of cables and foundations can add long-term environmental and economic value. To gain such knowledge, Boskalis is involved in a research project together with partners such as the University of Twente, Rijkswaterstaat (the executive agency of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management), Dutch research company Deltares, and the North Sea Foundation. Under the name ‘Footprint,' the project kicked off at the end of 2020, and will run for three years and be supervised by scientists from the Royal Netherlands Institute of Sea Research (NIOZ). “Sand waves are simply waves of sand on the seabed. But they can be up to two meters high and 100 meters long, and they can travel. If we know how they behave it will add to our understanding of the morphological and ecological systems where our projects are located” Thomas explains. “This will not only improve our risk assessments, but help us determine our work methods in environmentally sensitive areas. It will also be useful in advising policymakers or clients where wind farms can best be placed, with the least ecological impact.”

“RISING DEMAND FOR ENERGY AND THE TREND TOWARDS RENEWABLES IS FUELING A PREDICTED GROWTH IN OFFSHORE WIND FARMS“

SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2020 – BOSKALIS