VBMS to offer support for cabling at Gemini offshore wind project in the Netherlands

VolkerWessels Boskalis Marine Solutions (VBMS) will be supporting installation of export cables at the 600MW Gemini offshore wind farm in Netherlands.

According to the contract signed, VBMS will offer assistance to dredging and marine contractor Van Oord, who is the lead contractor for the offshore project.

The firms will be working on two cable sections having combined length of 11km in the transition area between shallow and deep waters.

Cable-laying vessel Stemat Spirit will be used for the project, which is located in the Dutch part of the North Sea, 85km north of the Groningen coast.

VBMS is likely to mobilise the vessel in mid-March 2015.

VBMS CEO Arno van Poppel: "After our successful cooperation for the Eneco Luchterduinen OWF last year, we are very pleased to install this export cable for Van Oord and contribute to one of the most productive offshore wind farms in the world."

A consortium formed by Northland Power, Siemens Financial Services (SFS), Van Oord Dredging and Marine Contractors and N.V. HVC is the owner for the 600MW Gemini project.

Equipped with 150 of Siemens 4MW wind turbines, the offshore firm will produce 2.6TWh of renewable power in a year.

Once operational, the project is likely to electrify around 785,000 households, with reduction of 1.25 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in a year.