A mysterious noise kept many residents in Zandvoort and the surrounding area awake last night. On social media it is raining reactions from people who suffered from a constant booming noise. The big question is: where does that sound come from?
It is a hot issue on the Facebook page You are Zandvoorter as† Below the post describing the “tone clapping”, the comments just keep pouring in. For example, it can be read: “You can also hear it here in the center! All of Zandvoort is booming.” Another resident is glad she’s not the only one. “I’m so glad I read this. I heard it a few days ago too.”
While a few attribute the irritating noise to perhaps an alien invasion at sea, most agree that it must have come from the construction of the new offshore wind farm.
Listen below to the ‘soft’ sound fragment of the banging that was heard last night. The text continues after the audio clip.
They also think that the noise comes from the municipality. “I did indeed read the messages on Facebook this morning. I think it comes from the construction of the new wind farm at sea,” says a spokesperson at the municipality.
A lot of protest, but still a permit
The new Hollandse Kust Zuid 1-4 wind farm will be located approximately 18 kilometers off the coast of the Netherlands and consists of 140 windmills. The capacity of the park is 1,500 megawatts. That is equivalent to the power consumption of more than two million households. There was a lot of protest in coastal municipalities such as Zandvoort against the park. Despite the resistance, a permit was granted in 2020.
According to a spokesperson at Eneco, there is only one “logical explanation for the noise”. “At the moment, Vattenfall is laying 140 foundations for an offshore wind farm. If the wind then moves towards the coast, it can cause extra noise pollution.”
Earlier this week, there were also complaints about a ‘thumping sound’.