TenneT has started soil testing on the planned export cable route for the Borssele wind farm zone off the coast of Walcheren.

The aim of the testing is to identify the condition of the soil and possible obstacles such as existing munitions or wrecks.

The consortium consisting of Grontmij, Deep Hydrography & Geophysics and Marine Sampling Holland (MSH) will carry out the survey using four boats equipped with advanced geophysical instruments such as radar and sonar, and soil sampling equipment.

TenneT will also use collected data to ensure that there is as little environmental impact as possible on the flora and fauna on both land and at sea.

TenneT senior manager Offshore, Marco Kuijpers, said that the survey will provide information about the condition of the site that the company is going to encounter during cable construction, and what measures can be undertaken following the cable installation to ensure proper functionality.

Wout Nijhoving, project manager of Grontmij Deep-MSH consortium, added: “It’s nice that we can put our collective expertise to realise the future energy infrastructure in the Netherlands.”

The cable construction is expected to start in 2018.