It has risen out of the IJsselmeer in the last two weeks
Translated by Thomas Ansell
As reported by the Omrop Fryslân, the Province of Friesland now has another small island within its purview, as part of the upcoming ‘Windpark Fryslân’.
In the summer of next year, 89 wind turbines will also sprout from the IJsselmeer, and the island is intended to be used in the construction of these. After the island has hosted the machinery required to erect a wind park, it will be left to become a habitat for birds. The island is still being built (a strange thought), but is likely to be ready for the end of August; after which work will be done in the shallow areas near the island.
“It’s designed to be a work island. So, in the building phase of the Windpark Fryslân it will be used to do work and shelter. And once the park is built and the turbines are installed, it will be re-built as a nature reserve”, says Anne de Groot of Windpark Fryslân.
At the moment, the receiver station for the wind park is being constructed on the Breezanddijk. In March of 2021 the first actual turbines will be erected.
According to De Groot, the advent of the Coronavirus has not caused any delays to the project: “that was naturally somewhat tense during the Corona outbreak, and we saw what consequences that had overall. It’s a big international project with material that comes from across the world. We have seen that actually the production [of components] has gone ahead, and that’s very important for this phase. The work itself can also go ahead within the current guidelines.”
There has been some resistance to the plans, but the upsides are clear: the windpark will provide power for 500,000 households. De Groot says: “the shaft height will be around 115 metres, and the tips will be at around 180 metres, so yeah very visible. The park will be visible, and people will certainly notice it.”
Image via Petr Kratochvil on Public Domain Pictures. License-free.
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