Royal HaskoningDHV (RHDH) was selected by GE Renewable Energy and GMB for the design of the foundation of the world’s biggest wind-turbine.
Image: Royal HaskoningDHV to design foundation for GE’s 12MW wind turbine. Photo: Courtesy of ©GE Renewable Energy.
We were chosen due to our extensive experience with the foundations of wind turbines, and strong knowledge of geo-technical challenges.
The challenges
GE Renewable Energy and FutureWind decided to build the Haliade-X 12 MW prototype at the Maasvlakte in Rotterdam to increase the output and efficiency of future off-shore wind farms. This turbine is located at the SIF premises (SIF: Dutch supplier of off-shore wind turbine mono-piles). Although the turbine is meant for off-shore purposes, the testing is done on-shore. This makes running tests and accessibility easier. With an installed capacity of 12MW and a rotor-diameter of over 200 meters this turbine is currently the biggest in the world. The main challenge for RHDHV is not only it’s size and corresponding forces, but also its location. The sandy soft soil and the position of the turbine’s foundation (positioned in a dam) results in a challenge for our structural and geo-technical engineers.
Piled foundation and concrete solve the forces of the 260-meter-high structure
The design is based on a piled foundation, with a large concrete block on top; 28 meter diameter, 4 meters thick in the center. Our team delivered an effective design that met the technical requirements without over-dimensioning.
Source: Company Press Release