Together, we protect the Netherlands against rising water now and in the future

The climate is changing, causing rising sea levels and more frequent extreme weather conditions. The Afsluitdijk must continue to provide protection against flooding under changing circumstances. Therefore, the dike has been strengthened and renewed along its entire length. When the water level in the Wadden Sea is lower than in the IJsselmeer, we discharge excess water from the IJsselmeer using the sluices in the Afsluitdijk (spilling).

Due to rising sea levels, spilling is limited, and water inflow from rivers and surrounding areas to the IJsselmeer increases. Hence, two pumping stations and additional sluices are being constructed. Two tide barriers are also built in Den Oever and Kornwerderzand. At Kornwerderzand, a unique fish migration river is created, allowing fish to move between the salty Wadden Sea and the fresh IJsselmeer.

The project began in 2019, and its elements are massive and unique, rarely seen elsewhere. The Vismigratierivier, for instance, is the world's only artificial tidal river on the boundary of fresh and saltwater. Fish need both environments to reproduce, which can be challenging due to barriers like the Afsluitdijk. Adding a fish migration river makes it easier for fish to move between salt and fresh water, contributing to improved fish populations in the future.

To discharge more water from the IJsselmeer to the Wadden Sea, six large pumps with a total power of 12 MW (2 MW each) are installed on the Afsluitdijk. Additionally, spilling sluices are added, utilizing tidal movement to transfer water from the IJsselmeer to the Wadden Sea, minimizing pump usage to save energy.

Collaboration

The entire project is carried out by the consortium Levvel (formed by BAM, Van Oord, Invesis, and Rebel), commissioned by Rijkswaterstaat. Initially, Batenburg was asked to contribute to the preliminary design (DO phase) for optimal system designs. Subsequently, Batenburg was tasked with a significant part of the software development, hardware supply, and cabinet construction during the execution design (UO phase). Additionally, Batenburg handles the commissioning of all these installations.

Various Batenburg subsidiaries have joined forces for this endeavor. Batenburg Bellt contributed extensively to the DO phase, particularly regarding control systems, and plays a major role in realizing software for these control systems, operational installations, transmission networks, testing, and commissioning.

Batenburg Beenen designs and builds various control cabinets for different installations, while Batenburg JB Systems designs control cabinets and devises the required hardware for the drive systems of some control installations (e.g., the Vismigratierivier drive). Batenburg Digit assists in the implementation and testing of control system software. This collaborative approach demonstrates our strength together.

Batenburg Industrial Automation

Every day, we focus on making our customers' production, cultivation, and real estate operations smarter, more efficient, safer, and sustainable. We achieve this by delivering and installing intelligent products and designing high-quality software to control processes and systems. This includes digital twins, predictive maintenance, augmented, and virtual reality solutions. Through close collaboration with clients, partners, universities, colleges, and research institutions, we make the latest technologies practical and applicable.