An expansion of Rotterdam offshore wind power generation facilities has been approved by the Port of Rotterdam Authority.
The authority has reached an agreement with offshore power firm Sif Holding nv, which holds a lease on 42 hectares of land at the port, to extend its lease by an additional 20 hectares; with a 200m stretch of deep sea quay to deploy its offshore infrastructure. The new site’s inaugural project will be the logistics handling of 94 wind turbine foundations to be delivered to the Rotterdam offshore wind sites Borssele 1 and 2: the Borssele sites are operated by offshore infrastructure group Dredging, Environmental and Marine Engineering Offshore (DEME), which has signed a major marshalling services contract with Sif to begin in October 2019.
Sif Holding CEO Fred van Beers said: “This 20-hectare extension perfectly fits our strategy to expand our services to the offshore wind industry with complex marshalling and terminal activities for offshore wind. This additional lease agreement is a further proof of our belief in the strong bond between Port of Rotterdam and Sif. We foresee a structural demand for these services and are proud to be selected by DEME Offshore, who is our launching customer for these marshalling services when preparing and realising their offshore wind project Borssele 1 and 2.”
The Port of Rotterdam has declared its commitment to promoting the increased use of renewable energy sources; and aims to become the leading port in Europe for the production of offshore wind energy. Allard Castelein, CEO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority, said: “We are proud of Sif Group’s success in our port. Since the company set up here in 2015, Rotterdam has been able to strengthen its position in the offshore wind segment. This expansion will allow a leading player in this market to develop further. It supports our policy to employ our expertise, space and developing capacity to stimulate the offshore wind segment – and the offshore sector in general – as a key growth market.”
