Seabed Preparation Starts Ahead of Construction of New Dutch Offshore Wind Farm

The first preparations ahead of offshore construction work at the OranjeWind project site in the Netherlands have begun, as Jan De Nul has started the filter layer installation campaign.

In the coming weeks, the rock installation vessel Simon Stevin will install the first layer of erosion protection, which is essential to enable the subsequent installation of the 53 foundations for the wind farm, according to OranjeWind, a joint venture between RWE and TotalEnergies.

“It is good to see that, after months of preparation, the first construction work is starting according to plan. The foundation and cable installations will follow later this year”, said Matthias Esken, Project Director at OranjeWind.

The filter layer rocks are loaded in Norway and transported to the OranjeWind site, where Simon Stevin will place them at their designated locations using a vertical drop pipe.

The work is expected to be completed in May.

The OranjeWind offshore wind farm (Hollandse Kust West VII), located around 53 kilometres off the coast of IJmuiden, will comprise 53 Vestas V236-15 MW wind turbines installed on monopile foundations that will be produced by Sif, with the inter-array cables to be supplied by TKF.

The foundations and wind turbines will be installed by Jan De Nul using its heavy lift vessel Les Alizés and jack-up installation vessel Voltaire, while the inter-array cable installation will be performed by DEME.

OranjeWind is expected to be fully commissioned in early 2028.