Kornwerderzand

Breezanddijk

Hindeloopen

Den Oever

Stavoren

'We are a business, of course, but we feel it’s crucial to get the support of the local community. While we were developing our previous wind farm, Westermeerwind, we put considerable effort into local participation and learned a lot during that process. We recognise that the wind farm will be a very visible landmark in the lake and that not everyone is happy about it.’

The Province of Friesland’s financial participation marked an important step in achieving our aim. It is investing 20 million euros in the and has also issued a subordinated loan of 80 million euros. 

The Province will spend some of its Return on Investment (ROI) on local sustainability schemes and to support recreation, tourism and other initiatives along the lake’s coastline. 

And there are opportunities for local businesses as well. We’re taking the right steps, together with Zuiderzeewind. We’re offering Frisian companies the opportunity to work with us, but it’s up to them to make the most of that opportunity. 

I’m happy to see that there are local people working on the Zuiderzeewind team and Zuiderzeewind is going the extra mile to work with the Frisian community.’

‘I’d advise other projects to be open and transparent about what you want to do right from the start. Answer questions promptly and explain the limitations. Every project has people who keep a watchful eye on its progress, and that’s a good thing too. Give them a platform and be open with them.’

'Van der Wiel’s striking brown and green trucks drive on and off the Afsluitdijk causeway. One of the drivers is Oege Hiemstra, who is responsible for moving soil and sand to and from the Afsluitdijk for the installation of Windpark Fryslân’s high-voltage cables.' 

Oege has been working on the project for a few months now. His lorry is filled with sand for the new cycle path on the causeway. ‘The old cycle path had to be removed because the high-voltage cables for the wind farm have to be installed right under its route.’ Oege and his fellow drivers are clearing space for the cables. ‘We remove the sand and clay under the old cycle path and take it to a depot.’ As soon as the cables are in place, Oege and his co-workers spring into action again.

‘I drive back and forth between Eeltsjemar and the Afsluitdijk with backfill sand.’ Backfill sand is a special grade of sand used in the installation of high-voltage cables. ‘We use it to refill the trenches. A layer of rubble comes on top, and then a top layer of asphalt.’ The first stretch of the new Afsluitdijk cycle path has already been completed. ‘The cable will run all the way to Bolsward, so we’ll be working on this job for a while yet.’

The down-to-earth Frisian doesn’t really stop to think about the enormity of this project, the world’s largest wind farm in a lake. ‘Sometimes we don’t even realise that we’re working on a big project like this one. But when I drive across the Afsluitdijk causeway, then I think to myself: look at that, I helped to make this happen!’

'The wind farm is being built near the village of Kornwerderzand, a top location for kite surfers. There are shallow areas in the lake there and the wind usually drives the kite surfers back to the dam, so almost nothing can go wrong. The wind farm project has required the kite surfers to make a few concessions. The field that is regularly used for parking by kite surfers became a building site in 2019 and it was no longer possible to park close to the beach.'

Marcus has been closely involved in the wind farm’s development. ‘Because kitesurfing depends entirely on the wind and because Kornwerderzand is the primary location of our kite-surfing school and kite-surfing activities, we’ve kept close track of the Windpark Fryslân project from the outset.

Siting a wind farm of this size upwind of Kornwerderzand and the Frisian side of the IJsselmeer coastline will impact the wind and, as a result, our activities here.’

For the high-voltage cable routing on the Afsluitdijk it turned out that drilling would be necessary on the kite-surfing beach. ‘At first drilling was supposed to start last June, blocking access to the beach right in the middle of the high season. 

Thanks to close consultation, Zuiderzeewind put off this phase until the end of September, after our season ends. We were very happy about that, of course. We assume that in the years ahead, the consortium will continue to take account of the kite surfers and all the other aquatic sports enthusiasts active in vicinity of the wind farm.’ 

‘We have deliberately recruited a stakeholder manager and a communication consultant who speak Frisian, come from the area and have a local network. Cooperating with the local community is not just a project aim for me. The cables will pass the backyards of the local residents so to speak, so we have to proceed very carefully and inform them about the work well in advance.’ 

In the spring, Zuiderzeewind organised an event that brought together Frisian businesses and Zuiderzeewind. More than 100 Frisian companies dropped by to do business and offer their services, know-how and expertise. ‘It exceeded our expectations!’ 

‘I’m convinced that working with local companies adds value. I enjoy exploring opportunities to work with Frisian parties. It’s gratifying to see how local companies are taking 

a sincere interest in the project and that both parties are prepared to go the extra mile when necessary. It takes energy, but you get much more in return. Local cooperation is great, but we never compromise on safety and quality. We give local parties the opportunity to show us what they can do, and that can lead to unexpected partnerships. 

For example, we got to know Bijlsma during the business event. They formed a partnership with other Frisian companies and we have now procured the internal platforms for our wind turbine foundations from them. 

The company is located in the village of Winsum and has worked for Van Oord before however, if it was not for the business event, we would probably not have found each other for this project. And our discussions with them make it obvious that they’re more than 100% committed to living up to expectations.’