Starting July 16, Amprion will be investigating the subsoil in areas of the coastal waters near the island of Langeoog. The project will determine the seabed properties for the submarine cable installation of the first offshore grid connection systems for the Windader West project. The surveying office Weigt and Wilhelm Soltau GmbH are conducting the survey.
For the offshore grid connection systems of Windader West, Amprion plans to lay cables in the Exclusive Economic Zone, in the coastal waters of Lower Saxony, and onshore between the coast and the grid connection points in North Rhine-Westphalia. The first seabed surveys for the submarine cable laying will begin on July 16, 2025, in the Wadden Sea area between Neuharlingersiel and Langeoog, as well as north of the island. The surveys will be completed in October 2025.
Gentle Examinations with the Latest Technology
The comprehensive geophysical and geotechnical investigations of the seabed in the route corridor are important for planning the safe and environmentally friendly installation of the future offshore grid connection systems. Based on the investigation results, installation procedures and equipment deployment can be optimally planned to minimize structural impact on the natural environment.
Innovative technologies such as drones and underwater sensors enable precise surveys of the seabed and subsurface without causing significant disruption or noise pollution. Ship-based surveys also include core drilling and pressure sounding at selected locations.
These investigations are essential to obtain reliable information about the subsurface conditions for the future route of the cable systems. The measures were specifically tailored to the sensitive Wadden Sea habitat.
The Windader West
Windader West is the name of four offshore grid connection systems that will feed North Sea wind power into the transmission grid. Amprion is laying direct current cables for the four systems on the high seas, in the Lower Saxony Wadden Sea, and on the mainland between the North Sea coast and the respective grid connection points in North Rhine-Westphalia. Each system has a capacity of 2,000 megawatts, which together can meet the offshore wind energy needs of approximately eight million people. The grid connection systems will go into operation in the mid-2030s.