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Recently, Van Oord was awarded the contract to develop the offshore wind farm Hollandse Kust West zone (lot 6), which is located around 28.6 nautical miles west off the Dutch coast, near IJmuiden. The contract was awarded by Ecowende, a Shell and Eneco joint venture. The Ecowende wind farm is anticipated to have a total capacity for operation of around 760 MW, greening 3% of the current Dutch power consumption. Ecowende intends to have the wind farm completely operational and commissioned by 2026. Furthermore, both sides would collaborate on numerous feasibility studies and solution development.
This is expected to be the most significant ecological wind farm ever, with a minor impact on the natural habitats of birds, bats, and aquatic creatures, as well as a flourishing undersea environment. Van Oord, as Ecowende's contractor, will be responsible for shipping and laying the foundations. Van Oord will also design, acquire, and lay the connections that link the wind turbines. Van Oord will be in control of the wind turbines' transportation and installation at sea. Van Oord advised Ecowende on nature-enhancing components in the scour protection design to assist in encouraging a diversified habitat for marine life.
At the time of joining forces with Van Oord on September 8, 2023, Ecowende's CEO and Project Director Folkert Visser stated, "We are making huge strides to develop offshore wind in an environmentally responsible manner." We are confident that Van Oord, with its years of experience in all aspects of offshore wind farm construction, can collaborate with us to meet this tremendous challenge.' With various advances and technology, Ecowende will monitor, investigate, and adopt the efficacy, When selecting, Ecowende also considered emissions. Van Oord must have a clear vision for the future to make such substantial expenditures in extending their fleet while also making it more sustainable.'
To avoid noise during construction, the organisation intends to use its under-construction installation vessel (offshore) called the Boreas for foundation and turbine shipping and installation. Furthermore, it will use the vibro hammer for the first time at a Dutch offshore wind farm. Van Oord's flexible fall pipe ships will be utilised to install 'eco-friendly' scour protection, while the company's cable-laying vessel Nexus will lay inter-array cables. Van Oord's cable-laying vessel Nexus will be used to install the inter-array cables that connect the wind turbines.
Check the full press release here- https://www.vanoord.com/en/updates/ecowende-contracts-van-oord-build-most-ecological-wind-farm-yet/
